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THE 




PRESIDENT: 

BARTOLOME MASSO. 

VICE PRESIDENT: 

DOMINGO MENDEZ CAPOTE. 



Secretary of War: 

JOSE B. ALEMAN. 

Secretary of Foreign Affairs: 

Andres Moreno De La Torre, 

Secretary of the Treasury: 

ERNESTO FONT STERLING. 

Secretary of the Interior: 

MANUEL RAMOS SILVA. 



The General-in-Chief of the Army in the field is 
MAXIMO GOMES; the Lieut. General is CA- 
LIXTO GARCIA; the revolutionary government 
wac organized at Camaguey on Sept. 19, 1895; tne 
present administration was elected and installed at 
Yaza, Oct. 20, 1897. 

The Cuban Army numbered 60,622 in 1897, 
5,000 each under Gomez and Garcia, and 6,700 under 
other commanders; these 16,700 constituting the Army 
el - the Invasion; and 43,922 in the Army of Occupation, 
scattered throughout the six provinces as follows: San- 
tiago de Cuba, 13,900; Puerto Principe, 2,500; Santa 
Clara, 5,000; Matanzas.. 8,800: Havana, 8,160, and Pinar 
del Rio, 5,562. 



■■'--• ■■- ■-.-- -g ^g * ■ym rsv ^ 



/ 



TWO GREAT BOOKS IN ONE VOLUME, 

it, 




A Comprehensive, Accurate and Thrilling History of the Spanish 

Kingdom and its latest and fairest Colony; the long 

Struggle of Cuba for Freedom and Independence; 

the Intervention of the United States 

and the Fierce War with Spain 

that followed. 

A Record of Oppression and Patriotism, of Cruelty and of Valor, 

and above all of the triumph of the 

Stars and Stripes. 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 



WRITTEN AND EDITED 
BY 



Henry Houghton Beck, 

Author of " Famous Battles," 
"The Qreco=Turkish War," etc., etc. 



PUBLISHED BY 

Globe Bible Publishing Co, 



723 Chestnut Street, 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



TWO GREAT BOOKS IN ONE VOLUME. lLL 

/•iff 




A Comprehensive, Accurate and Thrilling History of the Spanish 

Kingdom and its latest and fairest Colony; the long 

Struggle of Cuba for Freedom and Independence; 

the Intervention of the United States 

and the Fierce War with Spain 

that followed. 

A Record of Oppression and Patriotism, of Cruelty and of Valor, 

and above all of the triumph of the 

Stars and Stripes. 



PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 



WRITTEN AND EDITED 
BY 



Henry Houghton Beck, 

Author of "Famous Battles," 
"The Qreco=Turkish War," etc., etc. 



PUBLISHED BY 

Qlobe Bible Publishing Co 



723 Chestnut Street, 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



F~ii8 3 
3 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year i898, 

By D. B. SHEPP, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



All rights reserve 



<p 







TWO C0PIE3 RECEIVED. 

PRESS OF 

ALFRED M. SLOCUM CO. 

PHILADA. 






b 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



BOOK I. 
Cuba's Fight for Freedom. 

Map of Cuba and the World. Frontispiece. 

i . Panorama of Havana 19 

2. Morro Castle, Havana 20 

3. Boat Landing, Havana 37 

4. Palace of the Captain-General, Havana 38 

5. The Cathedral, Havana 55 

6. Columbus Memorial Chapel, Havana 56 

7. The Indian Statue on the Prado, Havana .... 73 

8. Obispo Street, Havana 74 

9. Royal Lottery Ticket Seller, Havana 91 

10. Bull Fight, Havana 92 

n. Avenue of Royal Palms, Havana 109 

12. Cuban Family at Home . ... no 

13. Sugar Plantation, Cuba 127 

14. The "Virginius" Outrage — Shooting of the Four 

Prominent Cuban Patriots 128 

15. The Butchery of the Crew of the "Virginius" — 

Scene at the Slaughter-house the Moment before 
the Execution. Captain Frey bidding his 
Companions farewell 145 

16. The "Virginius" Butchery — Spanish Horsemen 

Trampling the Dead and the Dying Victims 
into the Slaughter-house Trench at Santiago de 
Cuba ... 146 

(5) 



6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

17. After the Shooting of the Crew of the " Virginius" 

Negroes of the Chain-gang Tumbling the Dead 

Bodies of the Victims into Mule-carts .... 163 

18. Ex-Captain General D. Valeriano Weyler .... 164 

19. Papal Benediction of the Spanish Troops leaving 

Vittoria for Cuba 181 

20. Spanish Troops leaving Barcelona, Spain 182 

21. Captain-General Blanco 199 

22. Battalion of Spanish Troops before the Governor- 

General's Palace, Havana 200 

23. Maximo Gomez, the Chief of the Insurrection . . 217 

24. General Calixto Garcia 218 

25. Cuban Staff Officers 235 

26. Cubans Attacking a Spanish Regiment 236 

27. Cubans Burning a Deserted Village 253 

28. An Insurgent Attack near Vueltas 254 

29. Cubans Fighting from the Tree-tops 271 

30. Spaniards Surrounded by Cubans 272 

31. Battleship "Maine" 289 

32. Destruction of the Battleship "Maine" 290 

BOOK II. 



The War with Spain. 

33. William McKinley, President of the United States . 307 

34. Wreck of the Battleship "Maine" . , 308 

35. Queen Regent and Alphonso XIII 325 

36. Opening the Spanish Cortez 326 

37. Puerto de Sol, Madrid, Spain 343 

^8. General Fitzhugh Lee 344 

39. Before the Blockade of Havana, Cuba 361 

40. Prominent Officers of the United States Army and 

Navy 362 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 7 

41. Rear Admiral Sampson 379 

42. Rear Admiral Dewey 380 

43. Commodore Schley 397 

44. Captain Sigsbee ... 398 

45. Cruiser " New York " 415 

46. Battleship " Indiana" 416 

47. Battleship ''Massachusetts" 433 

48. Battleship "Oregon" 434 

49. Battleship "Iowa" 451 

50. Dynamite Cruiser "Vesuvius" 452 

51. Watching the Searchlights at Havana during the 

Blockade 469 

52. Firing Six Pounders 470 

53. Action on a Battleship 487 

54. Action on a Monitor 488 

55. Land Battery — Revolving Gun 505 

56. Spanish Troops in San Juan, Porto Rico 506 

57. Climbing the Mast to Man the Turret Guns . . . . 511 

58. Map of Manila Bay and Forts 512 

59. Panorama of Manila Harbor 517 

60. Battle of Manila 518 

61. United States Troops going to the Front 523 

62. United States Troops in Camp 524 

63. Bird's-eye View of Santiago City, Harbor and 

Fortifications 529 

64. Naval Battle off Santiago de Cuba 530 




BOOK I 



Cuba's Fight For Freedom 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Columbus in Cuba — The Second Visit — A Chiefs Ex- 
hortation — Settlement and Slaughter — Las Casas 
and His Work — Extinction of the Natives — De Soto 
— The British Conquest — Progress and Prosperity. . 21 

CHAPTER II. 

General View of the Island — The Lay of the Land — 
The Climate — Mineral Resources — Animal Life — 
Vegetable Life — Cuban Scenery 35 

CHAPTER III. 
The Industries of Cuba — A Coffee Plantation — Preparing 
Coffee for Market — Havana Cigars — A Cigar Fac- 
tory — Sugar Plantations and Mills — How Sugar is 
Made — Cathedral and Custom House — The Danse 
du Ventre in Cuba— The Bull Ring— The Tomb 
of Columbus — Among the Pawn Shops — A Hard 
Bargain — Matanzas — A Wonderful Cave 48 

CHAPTER IV. 
How the Island is Governed — The Captain-General — 
Freedom of the Press — Local Governments — Elec- 
toral Trickery — "No Cubans Need Apply" — The 
Spanish Senate — Discrimination Against Cubans — 
Carpet-Baggers to the Fore — In the Local Offices — 

(9) 



I O CONTENTS. 

Squeezing the Orange — The Awful Burden of Debt 
— Treatment of Native Industry — Bad Commercial 
Laws — Cuba Ruined for the Sake of Spain — Salaried 
Carpet Baggers — Industries Driven to Bankruptcy — 
No Public Instruction — Early Discontent — Lopez 

and His Raids— The Killing of Pinto. 81 

CHAPTER V. 
Outbreak of the Ten Years' War in 1868— The Declara- 
tion of Independence — The Spanish Reply — War in 
Earnest — Proclamation of Freedom — Regular Gov- 
ernment Formed — Valmaseda's Bloody Orders — 
American Sympathy Expressed — A Special Message. 117 

CHAPTER VI. 

Savage Methods of Spanish Soldiers — Spanish Testimony 
— Meagre News in Havana — A Reign of Cruelty — 
Character of the War — Safety of Havana — The 
Spanish Mistake — Strength of the Patriots — Effects 
of the War upon the Island — Ruined Towns — Little 
Fighting — Much Destruction —Tactics of the Two 
Armies — The Spaniards Half- Hearted — Slaughter in 
the Five Towns — Outrages upon Women — Atrocities 
of Camp Followers 132 

CHAPTER VII. 

Arrogant Conduct of the Spanish toward Americans and 
English — The ' ' Virginius ' ' Outrage — Shooting 
Four Cuban Patriots — Americans Citizens Murdered 
in Cold Blood — Wild Demonstrations of Joy — 
Surrender of the "Virginius" — The Formal Trans- 
fer — How an English Captain Prevented a Massacre. 166 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Close of the Ten-Years' War — General Campos' Own 
Story — Communication with the Insurgents — Rebel 
Dissensions — Suspending Warfare — Progress toward 



CONTENTS. 1 1 

Peace — Coming to the Point — Campos' Motives — 
Interview with Garcia — An Anxious Moment— At 
Zanjon — The Terms Accepted — The End at Last — 
A Review of the Situation — What the War Meant — 
How the End was Reached — Campos' Appeal for 
Justice— The Cost of the War 185 

CHAPTER IX. 

Beginning of the Revolution of 1895 — Where the Plot 
Hatched — Famous Men who Organized the Rebel- 
lion — Arrival of the Leaders in Cuba — How Gomez 
Reached Cuba — Callejas' Attempts to Secure Peace 
by Heroic Measures — The First Skirmishes — Ironical 
Gratitude — Spread of the Rebellion 213 

CHAPTER X. 

The Patriots too much for Campos — Attitude of Other 
Countries — The Insurgents Organize — Who the 
Leaders Were — Battle of Sao del Indio — Battle of 
Peralejo — A Spanish Force Wiped Out 228 

CHAPTER XL 

The News in Cuba — The New Commander — Weyler's 
Arrival — First Words to Cuba — No Neutrality — 
Non-Combatants Menaced — Call for Surrender — To 
End the War in Thirty Days — The Telegraph Lines 
— Weyler's Proclamations — Must Praise Spain — 
Passports and Credentials — Stores to be Seized — 
Fate of Prisoners — More Troops for Weyler — The 
Massacre of Guatao — Prisoners Killed — Very Near 
Havana — The Towns Deserted — Weyler Calls a 
Halt — Powers of Life and Death — More Proclama- 
tions — For Extermination — Fifteen Days' Grace — 
Threats — Offer of Amnesty — To Report on the 
Suspects — Appeal for Recognition — A Long Debate 
— Action by Congress . . . . . ... 240 



1 2 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Latest Operations — The "Competitor" Case — Weyler 
Forced to take the Field — Death of Osgood, the 
American — Weyler goes out again — Attitude of the 
Washington Government — The Death of Maceo — 
Spain's Implacable Foe — Maceo' s Great Raid — The 
Hero's Last Campaign — The Final Tragedy — The 
Demand for Recognition 273 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Murder of Canovas — Sagasta in ; Weyler out — 
Marshal Blanco — McKinley's Words — No Americans 
in Arrest Now — Offers of Autonomy — Objections to 
the Scheme — Ruiz and Aranguren — The De Lome 
Incident — Destruction of the Maine — A Survivor's 
Story — Effects of the Disaster. . . 291 



BOOK II 



The War with Spain 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Beginning of our War with Spain — Appealing to the 
Powers — General Lee Leaves Cuba — No European 
Meddling — A Bogus Armistice — The President's 
Message — Grounds for Intervention — The Time for 
Action Come — Action of Congress — Spanish De- 
fiance — General Woodford Leaves Madrid — War 
and Blockade — The Challenge Accepted — European 
Views — Causes of the War — A Striking Contrast — 
Spain Reaping what She Sowed — Spain's Low 
Estate — Important Step in American Politics. . . . 309 



CONTENTS. 1 3 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Story of Spain — Roman Days in Spain — Pelayo — 
Rise of Spanish Power — The Modern Tiberius — The 
Decline of Spain — Ferdinand's Bad Reign — The 
Carlist's Revolt — The Latest Chapter — Porto Rico 
— Character of the Island — The Capital — An Ancient 
Walled City — The Philippines — Spanish Settlement 
in 1565 — Invaded by Other Nations — Greatly Op- 
pressed and Taxed — Some Natives Unsubdued — 
Natives Mild and Amiable — Trade of the Islands — 
Foreign Commerce Begins 334 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Resources of the Two Combatants Compared — Armies 
and Navies — The Spanish Navy — United States 
Ships — North Atlantic Squadron — Flying Squadron 
— Pacific Station — Asiatic Station — Unassigned — 
Special Service — Monitors — Training Ships— Auxil- 
iary Fleet— The Spanish Soldier — The Cigarette, 
his Solace— Bullied, Ill-treated and Robbed— The 
Army in Cuba — Spanish Pronunciation — West 
Indian Geographical Names — Cuban Proper Names 
— Spanish Geographical Names — Spanish Proper 
Names — Names of Spanish Ships 360 



• CHAPTER XVII. 

Blockading Havana — The First Prize — Taking the Pedro 
— Shots from Morro Castle — In Havana — More 
Prizes — A False Alarm — Adventures of a Press 
Boat — A Smart Capture — Work of a Monitor — A 
Privileged French Steamer 392 



14 ' CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The War in the Far East — The Opposing Fleets — Panic 
at Manila — Entering Manila Bay — The Battle of 
Manila — The Spaniards Brave but Beaten — A Halt 
for Breakfast — Finishing the Job — An Unrivalled 
Performance — Telling the News — The President 
Thanks Dewey — Dewey's Record — Taking Posses- 
sion of the Philippines 411 

CHAPTER XIX. 

With the Blockading Fleet — Shelling Matanzas — Other 
Ships Join in — Getting Closer to the Mark — " Cease 
Firing" — Aboard Ship — Scenes on the New York 
— The Men at the Guns — Sick Men wanted to be 
in it — Blanco's Mule Story — Cavalry Against Navy 
— The Admiral Teaches another Lesson — The Car- 
denas Tragedy — Helpless Under Fire — The Fatal 
Shot — Damage to the Enemy — Ensign Worth Bag- 
ley — The Gussie's Failure — Bombarding San Juan — 
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba — Spaniards on the 
Run — Line Cut off Mole St. Nicolas 431 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Voyage of the Oregon — No Thought of War — Fine 
Work at Sea — In the Straits of Magellan — Good-by 
to the Slow Vessels — End of the Great Voyage — A 
Remarkable Speed Record — Her Size and Her 
Armament — The Oregon's Commander 459 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Spanish Cape Verd Fleet — Seeking the Spaniards — 
News at Last—Santiago de Cuba — The First Attack 
— A Peep into the Harbor — Firing Big Guns — 
Results of the Shooting— "Sealing the Cork"— The 
Search for the Survivors-^-Waiting for Hobson's 
Return — What Hobson Did 474 



CONTENTS. 1 5 

CHAPTER XXII. 
The Seventh Regiment — Two Big Camps — The Second 
Call — General Shafter — For the Philippines — Pre- 
paring to Invade Cuba — The Trip to Cuba — Opera- 
tions at Guantanamo — Raiding a Spanish Camp — 
Spaniards Rush for the Bushes — The Dolphin 
Throws Shells 490 

CHAPTER XXIII 

Battle of La Quasina — Captain Capron's Heroic Death 
— The General Advance — Skill and Valor of Cubans 
— Work of the Fleet — Spain's Banner Falls — Cer- 
vera's Startling Move — Cervera's Ship Opens the 
Fight — The Texas in the Thick of it. — The Oregon 
and Iowa to the Front — End of the Destroyers — 
"Don't Cheer; the Poor Devils are Dying" — 
Greatest Chase of Modern Times — Down Came the 
Colon's Flag — It was Schley's Victory — Not Likely 
that the Colon can be Saved— Admiral Cervera 
Wounded 503 




_ 



BOOK I 



Cuba's Fight For Freedom 



CHAPTER I. 



COLUMBUS IN CUBA — THE SECOND VISIT A CHIEF S 

EXHORTATION SETTLEMENT AND SLAUGHTER 

LAS CALAS AND HIS WORK— EXTINCTION OF THE 

NATIVES — DE SOTO THE BRITISH CONQUEST 

PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY. 



(f 1 



HE HISTORY of Cuba begins with the 
discovery of the western world by 
Christopher Columbus. It was on Sep- 
tember 25, 1492, that Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 
standing on the high quarter deck of the Admi- 
ral's ship, shouted "Land! land! Senor, I claim 
the reward!" It was on October 12 that land 
was actully reached. And it was on October 28 
that Cuba was discovered. Columbus, as we 
know, was in quest of the fabled Cipango, the 
golden land of the East Indies, where Kublai 
Khan reigned. What he actually first reached 
was one of the Bahamas, called by the natives 
Guanahani. Columbus called it San Salvador, 
and the British have since named it Cat Island. 

Columbus soon discovered the land he had 
reached to be a small island, and accordingly 
set sail for the main land, which he reckoned 
2 (21) 



2 2 CUBA. 

to be somewhere near. He passed many beauti- 
ful islands, visiting three of them, and was enrap- 
tured with their loveliness. "I know not," he 
wrote in his diary, "where first to go. Neither 
are my eyes ever weary of gazing upon the beau- 
tiful verdure. The song of the birds is so sweet 
that it seems as if one would never desire to 
depart hence. There are flocks of parrots that 
obscure the sun, and other birds of many kinds, 
large and small. There are majestic trees of a 
thousand species, each having its particular fruit, 
and all of marvelous flavor." 

These, however, were mere islands. Nor 
did he find on them the gold and gems and 
spices of which he was in quest. But the natives 
told him of a great land lying to the south, which 
they called Cuba. It was, they said, rich in gold 
and pearls and other precious things, and Colum- 
bus felt sure it was the country of the Great 
Khan, of which Marco Polo had written. So he 
pressed on toward it, and on October 28th came 
to its shores. On that day he wrote in his diary: 
"This is the most beautiful land ever beheld by 
human eyes." 

Columbus in Cuba. 

As he approached the island he believed it 
was the main land. He noted with admiration 
its lofty mountains, its deep, clear rivers, its fine 
harbors, and the attractive appearance of all the 



CUBA. 23 

country. Then he cast anchor in the bay of a 
river just west of Nuevitas del Principe, and went 
ashore, taking formal possession of the land in 
the name of Spain. He spent many days in 
exploring the coast, landing here and there and 
visiting the native villages. The inhabitants 
were a race of Indians of gentle demeanor. 
They lived in a state of happy tranquillity among 
themselves, and possessed a religion devoid 
of rites and ceremonies, but inculcating a belief 
in the existence of a great and beneficent Deity 
and in the immortality of the soul. 

Columbus went along the coast toward the 
northwest, until he reached a great headland 
which he called the Cape of Palms. Beyond 
this he was told there was a river up which it was 
only four days' journey to " Cubanacan." By 
this the natives meant merely the interior of the 
island. But Columbus thought they meant the 
land of Kublai Khan, and was thus convinced 
that he was at last on the main land of Asia, near 
the rich realms of Cathay. He accordingly sent 
an embassy into the interior, to visit the Prince 
who ruled over those regions. The embassadors 
returned to the ship, however, after going inland 
twelve leagues, and reported that they had found 
no city and no prince and nothing but Indian 
villages. Neither did they find any gold. But 
they observed that the natives practiced a curious 



24 CUBA. 

habit, of rolling up the dried leaves of a certain 
herb, setting fire to one end of the roll, putting 
the other end in their mouths, and alternately 
inhaling and puffing out the smoke. Such a roll 
they called a tobacco. The Spaniards were 
astonished at this strange practice, but soon 
found it pleasant and themselves adopted it, 
calling the plant from which the rolls were made 
by the name which the Indians gave to the roll 
itself. 

The explorer was disappointed in not finding 
the Court of Kublai Khan, and now turned to the 
east and south, and after some days sailing he 
reached the end of the island, now known as 
Cape Maysi. Supposing it to be the extreme 
end of the Asian continent, he called it Alpha and 
Omega, the Beginning and the End, and then set 
sail for Hayti. 

The Second Visit. 

Columbus's second voyage was directed to 
the further exploration of Cuba, which he still 
believed to be the Asian continent. He reached 
Cape Maysi on April 29, 1494, and proceeded 
along the southern coast. Here and there he 
put in at harbors, and inquired of the natives for 
the land of gold. They all directed him to the 
southwest, telling him another great land lay 
there, rich in gold and gems. Doubtless they 
meant the South American continent. So, on 



CUBA. 25 

May 3, Columbus turned thither, but discovered 
nothing but the Island of Jamaica, and on May 18 
he returned to Cuba. He arrived at a great cape, 
to which he gave the name of Cabo de la Cruz or 
Cape of the Cross, by which it is still known. 
Then he ran into a beautiful archipelago and 
called it the Queen's Garden. Every day re- 
vealed new beauties of land and sea. The delighted 
voyager believed that he had surely reached 
"Summer Isles of Eden, lying in dark purple 
spheres of sea." 

League after league he sailed along the coast 
toward the west, more and more convinced that 
he had found the land of the Great Khan. He 
proposed to keep on and circumnavigate the 
globe, returning by way of Africa. But his ships 
were out of repair and his crews weary, so at last 
he had reluctantly to turn back. Before he did 
so he had every one of his officers and men sign 
a declaration of their belief that Cuba was the 
western extremity of the continent of Asia. This 
was done while the ships lay in the Bay of Cortes, 
or Bay of Phillipina. If only some one had taken 
the trouble at that time to climb to the mast-head, 
he might have seen the open sea to the northward 
of the island and thus have discovered that Cuba 
was nothing but an island. Or had Columbus 
kept on for two or three days more, he would 
have reached the western end of the island and 



2 6 CUBA. 

thus have learned what it really was. Instead, 

he returned to Spain still cherishing his delusion. 

A Chief's Exhortation. 

His last landing was made in Cuba on July 7. 
At the mouth of a fine river he set up a cross 
and had the service of the Mass performed. 
Among the Indians who looked on at this cere- 
mony in mute amazement was one venerable chief 
who at the end of the ceremony said to Colum- 
bus : "I am told that you have come to this 
country with a mighty force and have subdued 
many lands, spreading great fear among the 
people. But do not therefore be vainglorious. 
Remember that, according to our belief, the souls 
of men have two journeys to perform after they 
have departed from the body. One is to a place 
that is dismal, foul, and covered with darkness, 
prepared for those who have been unjust and 
cruel to their fellow-men. The other is to a place 
full of delight and beauty, for those who have 
promoted peace on earth. Therefore if you are 
mortal and expect to die, see to it that you hurt 
no man wrongfully nor do harm to those who 
have done no harm to you." 

A third short visit was made by Columbus 
to the southern shores of Cuba at the end of May, 
1503, and that concluded his adventures in that 
island. In 151 1 his son, Diego Columbus, for the 
purpose of colonizing the island, fitted out an 



CUBA. 27 

expedition, consisting of more than three hun- 
dred men, under Diego Velasquez, who had 
accompanied his father on his second voyage. 
Their first settlement was Baracoa, and in 15 14 
they founded Santiago and Trinidad. In July, 
1 5 15, was planted a town called San Cristoval de 
la Havana, which was in 15 19 named Batabano, 
and its original title transferred to the present 
capital of the island. The island itself, by the 
way, was first named by Columbus Juana, in 
honor of Prince John, son of Ferdinand and Isa- 
bella. After Ferdinand's death it was re-named 
Fernandina. Next it was designated Santiago, 
for the patron saint of Spain. Still later it was 
called Ave Maria, in honor of the Holy Virgin. 
Finally it was called Cuba, that being the name 
by which it was known among the natives at the 
time of its discovery. 

Settlement and Slaughter. 

As we have said the conquest of the island 
was seriously undertaken in 151 1. The expedi- 
tion was organized in San Domingo, under the 
command of Diego Velasquez and numbered 
more than three hundred men. Among them was 
Hernando Cortez, the future conqueror of Mexico. 
There also was the celebrated Bartolome Las 
Casas, known as the Apostle to the Indies. 

The harsh and brutal treatment imposed by 
the Spaniards upon the Indians in San Domingo 



2 8 CUBA. 

had caused many of the latter to cross over to 
Cuba, where they expected to live in security and 
peace. Among these was the famous chief, 
Hatuey, whose name stands upon the pages of 
history as a monument of courage and patriotism 
in the face of Spanish ferocity and cruelty. As 
soon as he learned that the Spaniards had landed 
in Cuba, Hatuey collected his warriors and pro- 
ceeded to oppose the invaders. But the struggle 
was a useless one and hopeless from the outset. 
The weapons of the Indians consisted of arrows 
pointed with fishbones and of clubs, the ends of 
which were hardened by fire, while the Spaniards, 
besides protecting their bodies with heavy cloth- 
ing which the weak points of the Indian arrows 
could scarcely penetrate, were provided with ex- 
cellent swords, powerful cross-bows, some fire- 
arms and a few horses. After several encounters 
Hatuey fell into the hands of the Spaniards and 
was condemned by Velasquez to be burned at 
the stake. When he was already tied to the 
stake, and the fagots were about to be lighted, 
the .chief was approached by a priest who began 
to pray that his soul might be taken to heaven. 
Hearing this, Hatuey asked to which of the two 
places the Spaniards would go when they died. 
He was told that they would all certainly go to 
heaven. "Then," he exclaimed, resolutely, "let 
me go to hell !" 



CUBA. 29 

I«as Casas and Mis Work. 

Las Casas, whom we have already mentioned, 
was the son of one of the companions of Colum- 
bus on his first voyage of discovery to the new 
world. In 1498 he accompanied his father in an 
expedition under Columbus to the West Indies, 
and in 1502 he went to Hayti, where he was 
admitted to priestly orders, being the first person 
to receive such consecration in the new world. 
In 151 1, the conquest of Cuba having been re- 
solved on, he went to that island to take part in 
the work of " population and pacification." He 
witnessed and vainly tried to check the terrible 
massacres of Indians which Velasquez soon per- 
petrated. A year or two later there was assigned 
to him a large village in the neighborhood of 
Xagua, inhabited by many Indians, as his share 
of the new colony. Here, like the rest of his 
countrymen, he sought to make the most of his 
opportunity of growing rich, though he continued 
occasionally to preach and celebrate Mass. Soon, 
however, having become deeply convinced of the 
injustice and other moral evils of the system of 
rule adopted by the Spaniards, he began to 
preach against it, at the same time giving up his 
own slaves. Then he went to Spain to speak in 
behalf of the oppressed natives, and the result 
of his representations was that in 1 5 1 6 Cardinal 
Jimenez sent over a commission for the reform 



3<3 CUBA. 

of abuses — Las Casas himself, with a salary and 
the title of " Protector of the Indians," being ap 
pointed a member of it. He soon found, how- 
ever, that the other members of the commission 
were altogether indifferent to the cause which he 
had so much at heart and he accordingly returned 
to Spain where he developed his scheme for the 
complete liberation of the Indians. This scheme 
not only included facilities for emigration from 
Spain, but was intended to give to each Spanish 
resident in the colonies the right of importing 
twelve negro slaves. The emigration movement 
proved a failure, and Las Casas lived long enough 
to express his sorrow and shame for having been 
so slow to perceive that the African negroes were 
as much entitled to the rights of man as were the 
American Indians. 

Extinction of the Natives. 
Velasquez was thus the founder of Indian slav- 
ery, and Las Casas of negro slavery, in America. 
The Indians who were not distributed among the 
Spaniards as slaves were compelled to pay a 
tribute in gold dust, and as gold never abounded 
in Cuba this was a difficult thing to do. Although 
the Indians were physically well developed, they 
were not accustomed to continuous and hard 
labor. The tasks imposed upon them by their 
ruthless Spanish masters caused so great a mor- 
tality that in about half a century the whole native 



CUBA. 31 

population of the island had disappeared. Some 
of the estimates placed the number of inhabitants 
of the country originally at 800,000. Others 
place it at no more than 400,000. But even tak- 
ing the latter figure as correct, what a frightful 
destruction of human life there was in a few 
years ! 

The discovery and conquest of Mexico and 
Peru, with their immense wealth, caused the 
Spanish to look upon Cuba with indifference, and 
for nearly 300 years it was almost forgotten. 
Nothing but. the geographical position of Havana 
saved the island from utter neglect and oblivion 
in Spain. It was a convenient stopping-place for 
ships plying between Spain and the American 
continent, but so little was known in Spain about 
Cuba that not infrequently, even as late as the 
latter part of the last century, official dispatches 
were addressed to the Island of Havana. Even 
after the country was yielding to the Spanish 
treasury millions of dollars of revenue every 
year, the Spaniards remained so ignorant about 
Cuban matters that in the laws enacted for Cuba 
at Madrid in 1856 a reward was offered for the 
killing of " foxes, ferrets, wolves and other wild 
beasts of prey." Of such animals not a trace had 
ever been discovered in the island. The only 
wolves and other wild beasts of prey known to 
the Cubans have been the Spanish office-holders. 



32 



CUBA. 



De Soto. 

Havana was frequently attacked by the ships 
of powers hostile to Spain. In 1538 it was 
almost entirely destroyed by a French privateer. 
To prevent a similar disaster in future the Castillo 
de la Fuerza, a fortress which still exists, was 
built by Fernando de Soto, who was then Gover- 
nor of Cuba. This was the same de Soto who 
afterward became famous for his explorations in 
the southern and western regions of the United 
States and for the discovery of the Mississippi 
River. When he went on his last expedition to 
North America, on which he lost his life, he left 
his wife and family behind him at Havana, where 
his wife died of a broken heart three days after 
receiving news of his death. 

The British Conquest. 

Despite this fortress, in 1554, the French 
again attacked and partly destroyed Havana. The 
early settlers of Cuba devoted themselves chiefly 
to the rearing of cattle, but about 1580 the 
cultivation of tobacco and the sugar cane was 
commenced, and this led to a vast development 
of the system of negro slavery. Previous to 
1 600 two more forts were built for the defence of 
Havana. These were the Punta and the Morro 
Castle, which are still in existence. For a century 
and a half after this date the island was kept in a 
state of almost perpetual fear of invasion from the 



cuba. 33 

French, English, Dutch, and other raiders. It 
also suffered much from the pirates and freeboot- 
ers who infested those seas. About 1665 the 
building of strong walls around the city was 
commenced. In 1762 Havana was captured after 
a desperate struggle by an English fleet and army 
under Lord Albemarle. The fleet consisted of 
more than two hundred vessels of all classes 
manned by more than fourteen thousand men, 
while the Spanish army of defense numbered 
more than twenty-seven thousand. The assault 
began on June 6th. On July 30th Morro Castle 
was surrendered, and on August 14th the city 
itself capitulated. The spoil divided among the 
conquerors amounted to more than $3,600,000. 
By a treaty concluded at Paris in the following 
year Cuba was restored to the Spaniards and 
thereafter its progress was rapid. Indeed, that 
was the beginning of the island's real importance 
and prosperity. 

Progress and Prosperity. 
Another Las Casas arrived in 1 790 as Cap- 
tain-General of the island and his administration 
was a brilliant time in the history of Cuba. He 
promoted with indefatigable perseverance a great 
and useful series of public works. He also intro- 
duced the culture of indigo, which became an 
important industry. He extended the commer- 
cial importance of the island by removing as far 



34 



CUBA. 



as possible the trammels imposed upon it by the 
old system of monopoly, and also made noble 
efforts for the emancipation of the slaves. It was 
owing to his wise administration that the island 
remained peaceful during the time of the revolu- 
tion in Hayti, although the latter was closely 
watched by the negroes in Cuba and a con- 
spiracy for revolt was actually formed among 
them by French agents. Many of the French 
who were driven out of Hayti by the negro revo- 
lutionists came to Cuba in 1795 and settled there. 
The news that Napoleon had deposed the 
royal family of Spain reached Cuba in July, 1808. 
It caused great excitement and aroused much 
patriotic enthusiasm. All the officers of the 
island at once took oath to preserve Cuba for the 
deposed sovereign and declared war against 
Napoleon. It was partly from this fact, and 
partly from the fact that it remained loyal to Spain 
when, a dozen years later, all the South American 
colonies revolted, that Cuba received the name of 
-The Ever Faithful Isle." 




CHAPTER II. 



GENERAL VIEW OF THE ISLAND THE LAY OF THE 

LAND THE CLIMATE MINERAL RESOURCES 

ANIMAL LIFE— VEGETABLE LIFE CUBAN SCE- 
NERY, 




UBA EXTENDS from Cape Maysi, on 
the east, to Cape St. Antonio, on the 
west, in a curved line of 790 miles. It 
lies between 19 and 23 north latitude, and 74 
and 85 west longitude. It is 117 miles wide in 
the broadest part ; from Cape Maternillos point 
on the north, to the western point of Mota 
Cove, on the south twenty-one miles east of 
Cape Cruz — the Cape of the Cross. 

The narrowest part of the Island is twenty- 
two miles, from the mouth of Bahia del Mariel, 
on the north of Cove of Mavana on the south. 
From Havana to Batabano, it is twenty-eight 
miles ; near the centre of the Island, the breadth 
north and south is about seventy-five miles. 
The periphery of the Island, following a line the 
less tortuous and cutting the bays, parts and 
coasts at their mouths, is 1,719 miles, of which 

(35) 



3^ 



CUBA. 



816 are on the north and 903 on the south. Its 
area is about 55,000 square miles ; and taking 
into the estimate the adjacent islands, or keys 
which belong to it, it is 64,000 square miles. The 
form of the Island is exceedingly irregular, ap- 
proaching that of a long, narrow crescent, the 
convex portion of which looks toward the Arctic 
pole. Her situation in regard to that pole is 
nearly from east by south to west by north- 
west. It is the most westerly of the West India 
Islands, and the western part is placed advantage- 
ously in the mouth of the Mexican gulf, leaving 
two spacious entrances ; the one of the north- 
west, 124 miles wide, between Point Hicacos, the 
most northerly of the Island, and Point Tancha, 
or Cape Sable, the most southerly of East 
Florida. The other entrance into the Gulf to 
the southwest, is 97 miles in its narrowest part, 
between Cape St. Antonio, of Cuba, and Cape 
Catoche, the most salient extremity of the Penin- 
sula of Yucatan ; from Cape Mola, or St. Nicho- 
las, in the Island of St. Domingo, the eastern 
extremity of Cuba, or Maysi Point, is separated 
by a channel forty-two miles wide. From Maysi 
to Great Enagua, the nearest of the Lucayas, or 
Bahama Islands, the distance to the northeast is 
forty-five miles. From Point Lucrecia, in Cuba, 
the most easterly point of the great bank of 
Bahama, in the old Bahama Channel, called St. 



cuba. ^y 

Domingo's key, thirty-four miles. From Punto 
del Ingles, on the South of Cuba, to the nearest 
point of the northern coast of Jamaica, the dis- 
tance is seventy five miles. 

Cuba contains the following ports on the 
North, viz. : Guardiana, Bahia Honda, Cabana, 
Mariel, Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua la 
Grande, San Juan de los Remedios, Guanaja, 
Nuevitas, Nuevas Grandes, Manati Puerto del 
Padre, Puerto del Mangle, Jibara, Jururu, Bariai, 
Vita, Naranjo, Salma Banes, Nipe, Leviza Cabo- 
nico, Tanamo, Cebollas, Zaquaneque, Zaragua, 
Taco, Cuyaguaneque Navas, Maravi, Baracoa and 
Manta — thirty-seven in all. On the South, Bati- 
queri, Puerto Escondido, Guantanamo, Santiago 
de Cuba, Mota, Manzanillo, Santa Cruz, Ver- 
tientes, Masio, Casilda, Jagua, Ensenada de Cor- 
tez and Ensenada de Cochinos — thirteen in all. 
The I*ay of the Land. 
Low as the coast lands are, the island is 
plentifully supplied with hills and mountains. 
The highest part of the island is in the southeast 
portion, the loftiest peaks here reaching a height 
of more than 7,600 feet. From these mountains 
a ridge of somewhat less general elevation follows 
closely to the central line of the island westward, 
rising to a height of 2,530 feet at the extreme 
west. A considerable group of hills also rises 
immediately behind the harbor of Trinidad, near 
3 



4Q 



CUBA. 



the centre of the southern coast. The summits 
of the mountains are mostly rocky and naked, 
though occasionally smooth and covered with soil 
and vegetation. The internal structures of the 
mountains consist of chalk, limestone, sandstone, 
and gypsum. There are also numerous masses 
of serpentine and syenitic rocks. In some places 
petroleum is found in considerable quantities 
among the serpentine, and abundant springs of 
the same oil are also found in the eastern part of 
the island. 

The rivers of Cuba are necessarily short, and 
their course is generally toward the north or 
south. The largest is the Cauto, which is about 
150 miles long, and navigable for sixty miles. 
Several others are navigable for from five to fifteen 
miles each. At the northeast of Guantanamo is 
the hill of Moa, in which is a huge cavern, and in 
that cavern the river Moa descends in a superb 
cascade more than 300 feet high. 
The Climate. 

Cuba lies near the northern edge of the 
tropical zone and its climate is therefore largely 
torrid. On the high ground of the interior, how- 
ever, it is fairfy temperate. As in other tropical 
and semi-tropical countries, the year is divided 
into two seasons, known as the wet and the dry, 
the former being the hotter of the two. The wet 
season extends from May to October, although 



CUBA. 41 

rain falls in every month of the year. Spring 
begins in May, and thenceforward thunder storms 
are of almost daily occurrence until fall. Almost 
every day is exceedingly warm except on the 
mountain-tops. From November to April is the 
dry season, when the temperature is somewhat 
more moderate. The average rainfall at Havana 
in the wet season is about 27 8-10 inches and in 
the dry season 12 7-10 inches, making a total of 
40 5-10 inches for the year. At Havana in July 
and August the average temperature is 82 ° Fah- 
renheit, varying between a maximum of 88° and 
a minimum of y6°. In December and January 
the maximum is j&° and the minimum 58 , the 
average being 72 . The average temperature at 
Havana the year round is Jj°. In the interior of 
the Island, at elevations more than 300 feet above 
the sea, the mercury occasionally falls to the 
freezing point in winter. Light frosts are not 
uncommon and thin ice is sometimes formed. 
Snow, however, is never known to fall in the 
Island. The prevailing wind is from the east, but 
from November to February the north wind occa- 
sionally blows for not more than two days at a 
time, especially in the western part of the island. 
As a rule the hottest hours in the day are from 
ten o'clock to noon. In the afternoon a refresh- 
ing breeze almost always sets in from the sea. 
From August to October is the hurricane season. 



42 



CUBA. 



These storms are sometimes extremely severe 
and destructive, though not so much so as in other 
West Indian Islands. Sometimes five or six years 
pass without a single hurricane. Earthquake 
shocks are occasionally felt, but are seldom so 
severe as to be destructive. 

No serious diseases are known to be in- 
digenous to the island. Yellow fever, which 
rages every year on all the coast lands, was im- 
ported many years ago by vessels engaged in 
the slave trade. It is probable that its contin- 
uance and annual recurrence has been due to the 
indescribably foul condition of the harbors, espec- 
ially that of Havana. This plague causes great 
loss of life every year, especially among visitors 
and naturalized residents of the island. It attacks 
comparatively few of the natives and its ravages 
are exclusively confined to the lowlands along 
the coast. 

Mineral Resources. 

The mineral resources of the island have not 
yet been developed nor even explored to any 
considerable extent. Gold and silver have, un- 
doubtedly, been found on the island in various 
places, but never in quantities sufficient to pay 
for the working of mines. The early settlers 
sent gold to Spain from the island, but they 
obtained it from the aborigines who had accu- 
mulated it for centuries and had probably im- 



CUBA. 43 

ported it from other islands and from Mexico and 
the South American continent. Traces of gold- 
bearing sand are found in several of the rivers, 
and attempts have been made at two or three 
places to secure the metal in paying quantities, 
but without success. Early in the present cen- 
tury silver and copper were discovered in the 
Province of Villa Clara, and some of the first ores 
found yielded no less than seven ounces of pure 
silver to the quintal, a quintal being 107^ 
pounds. ? The mines have never been properly 
worked, however, and thus have been regarded 
as unprofitable. Near Santiago, in the eastern 
part of the island, are some copper mines of 
great extent and richness. A considerable town 
has grown up about them and a railroad has 
been built to carry their product to the sea. 
More than fifty tons of very rich ore have been 
taken out daily, the best of it being shipped direct 
to Europe for reduction. The poorer part of it 
is retained and smelted on the island. These 
mines were worked with considerable success 
during the seventeenth century, but during the 
eighteenth century were entirely neglected. 

Coal is found in almost inexhaustible quanti- 
ties. It is of a highly bituminous character, giv- 
ing out much heat, and leaving very little ashes 
or cinders. In some places it degenerates into 
semi-liquid form, resembling asphaltum, and in 



44 CUBA. 

some places naphtha or petroleum. There are ex- 
cellent quarries of slate near Havana, the product 
of which is used for floors and pavements. In 
many parts of the island of Cuba, and more par- 
ticularly in the Isle of Pines, marble and jasper, 
of various colors and fine quality, are found. Iron 
is believed to exist in considerable quantities, es- 
pecially among the highest mountain peaks, but 
because of the difficulty of access, the scarcity of 
fuel, the want of capital, and perhaps, above all, 
lack of enterprise and energy, no considerable 
mining operations have ever been undertaken. 
Animal Life. 

The aboriginal animal life of Cuba varied but 
little from that of other islands. Savage wild 
beasts were unknown. The only quadruped pe- 
culiar to the island is the hutia. This is an 
animal somewhat resembling a rat in form, and 
from twelve to eighteen inches in length, exclusive 
of the tail. It is pure black in color, lives among 
trees, and feeds on leaves and fruit. Its flesh is 
sometimes used as an article of diet. A few deer 
have been found in various parts of the island, 
but they are supposed to have been introduced 
from Florida. Plenty of wild dogs and cats are 
found in the woods, but they are merely the de- 
generate descendants of tame creatures. 

The chief domestic animals are the ox, the 
horse, and the pig, and these form a large pro- 



cuba. 45 

portion of die wealth of the island. Sheep, goats 
and mules are less numerous. The manatee is 
found along the coasts, but no attempt has ever 
been made to domesticate it. Domestic fowls in- 
clude geese, turkeys, peacocks and pigeons. The 
wild birds are notable for the beauty of their 
plumage, and more than 200 different species are 
found on the island. There are very few birds of 
prey. The principal ones are the vulture and the 
turkey buzzard, and these are protected from 
destruction by law, on account of their services 
as scavengers. The waters in and about the 
island are plentifully supplied with fish. Oysters 
and other shell fish also abound, but are of infe- 
rior quality. Numerous turtles are found on the 
coast and reefs, some of them attaining enormous 
size. They and their eggs form an important 
article of diet. Crocodiles and enormous lizards 
are common. Land-crabs are frequently seen in 
large numbers. These cross the island from north 
to south every spring, at the beginning of the 
rainy season. There are comparatively few snakes. 
The largest is the maja, which attains a length of 
twelve or fourteen feet, but is quite harmless. 
The most venomous snake is the juba, which 
grows to a length of about six feet. 

Among the insect life of Cuba the most no- 
table creature is the firefly. These flies are very 
large and luminous and exist in enormous num- 



46 CUBA. 

bers. They are much used among the poorer 
people instead of lamps or candles. A dozen or 
more of them confined in a bottle or even an 
empty gourd pierced with holes will serve to illu- 
minate a room fairly well. Bees are exceedingly 
abundant throughout the island. The poisonous 
insects are the jigger, one species of ant, the 
mosquito, the sandfly, the scorpion, and spiders. 
Vegetable Life. 

A considerable portion of the area of Cuba 
is covered with forests, some of them being so 
dense as to be almost impenetrable. It was 
estimated a few years ago that of nearly 20,000,- 
000 acres of land still remaining wild and uncul- 
tivated, about 13,000,000 were covered with 
uncleared forest. Among the valuable woods 
are mahogany, ebony, cedar and grandilla. 
These are valuable for manufactures, cabinet 
work and ship-building, and form a considerable 
article of export. The most valuable tree on the 
island, however, is the palm, which abounds 
everywhere. 

The fruits and vegetables of Cuba are such 
as are found elsewhere in the tropics. Most 
esteemed of all are the banana and plantain, the 
pineapple, the orange and the cocoa. The sweet- 
and-bitter cassava, the sweet potato, or yam, and 
other farinaceous roots are common, and Indian 
corn and rice are extensively cultivated. 



cuba. 47 

Cuban Scenery. 

Travelers coming to Cuba for the first time 
usually see what they have expected to see, and 
fall temporarily into ecstasies over tropical scen- 
ery and semi-saracenic architectural effects. It is 
imagination fired by overheated books of travel 
that lends to the view greater enchantment than 
distance in a foreign land. When the eye becomes 
accustomed to the contrasts with familiar scenes 
offered in town and country, disenchantment 
quickly follows. Then the truth is discerned that 
the woods, foliage, plants, flowers, landscape ef- 
fects and suburban drives are incomparably more 
beautiful in the temperate zone than in the tropics. 
Raptures over Cuban scenery are transitory va- 
garies in Havana. The harbor, with a long line 
of high-bastioned fortifications flanking the low 
peninsula upon which the city stands, is an impos- 
ing pageant, especially under a moonlit sky ; but 
the country about the city is flat and unimpressive. 
A railway ride across the island from Batabano, 
or westward to Matanzas, discloses vistas of 
undulating levels and moors under poor cultiva- 
tion, relieved only by sentinel palms of the royal 
guard, or by encampments of palmettos, or by 
straggling cabins with palm-leaf roofs. The plazas 
have an ill-nourished and stunted look. The 
Bishop's Garden in Tulipan was once a lovely re- 
treat, but it is now neglected ground. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE INDUSTRIES OF CUBA A COFFEE PLANTATION 

PREPARING COFFEE FOR MARKET HAVANA 

CIGARS A CIGAR FACTORY SUGAR PLANTA- 
TIONS AND MILLS HOW SUGAR IS MADE 

CATHEDRAL AND CUSTOM HOUSE THE DANSE 

DU VENTRE IN CUBA THE BULL RING THE 

TOMB OF COLUMBUS AMONG THE PAWN-SHOPS 

A HARD BARGAIN MATANZAS A WONDER- 
FUL CAVE. 



/Tdk HE PRINCIPAL agricultural products 
\3J' of Cuba are sugar, coffee and tobacco. 
In former years indigo was extensively 
cultivated, but that industry has greatly declined. 
The sugar industry has also been injured by the 
development of beet sugar production in various 
other countries. Still, the sugar plantations and 
mills, which include both refineries and distilleries 
for the production of rum, are the most important 
industrial establishments of the island. The bulk 
of the sugar is shipped to the United States. 
Next in importance is the coffee industry, which 
was established in 1748, the seeds having been 
brought from San Domingo. Tobacco is indig- 
enous to Cuba, and is famous over the world for 
its fine quality. Hundreds of millions of cigars 
are exported every year, beside many million 
pounds of leaf tobacco. 

(48) 



CUBA. 49 

The other industries of Cuba comprise 
cattle farms, cotton plantations, fruit and vege- 
table farms, chocolate plantations, and bee farms, 
devoted to the production of honey and wax. 
Generally speaking, it may be said that these 
industries have been conducted in a rather slip- 
shod manner. The best establishments are now 
those conducted by Americans, largely with 
Chinese labor. At the same time, contact with 
American progress has considerably improved 
the character and disposition of the natives, and 
under a proper government the industrial condi- 
tion of the island would be vastly improved, and 
would contain a considerable measure of that 
prosperity for which nature evidently designed 
it. The saying that " if you tickle the earth with 
a hoe it laughs with a harvest" is to no country 
more applicable than to Cuba. 

Four centuries have been nearly rounded out 
since the discoveries of Columbus, yet Cuba to-day 
is, with the single exception of Brazil, the least- 
developed country in the New World. Out of a 
total area of 43,000 square miles barely more 
than one-tenth is under cultivation. At the west- 
ern end of the island there is a population exceed- 
ing 1,000,000, but the remaining districts, of which 
Puerto Principe and Santiago are the capitals, are 
practically unsettled, having between them less 
than 500,000 whites, negroes and Chinese. Only 



50 CUBA. 

within five years has iron-mining begun in earnest. 
The forest areas are unexplored. There are vast 
tracts of unreclaimed lands available for future in- 
dustry. There are broad savannas, now aban- 
doned to tropical thickets, where sugar, tobacco 
and corn could be cultivated. If there are now 
1500 sugar plantations, large and small, on the 
island, there could be 15,000. If there are 15,000 
tobacco-planters of every degree, the number 
might be multiplied. If coffee-farming has de- 
clined and is now restricted mainly to the moun- 
tain slopes of Guantanamo, it could be restored 
to its old-time efficiency and prosperity. A trans- 
formation of administration and economic condi- 
tions are needed in order that there may be a new 
and reinvigorated Cuba. Spanish rule has been 
like the wild Indian fig of the island that winds 
about the monarch trees of the forest and para- 
lyzes and kills them with its serpentine embrace. 
The destroying fig must first be uprooted before 
the tree can have soil, light, air and moisture 
needed for its normal growth. 

A Coffee Plantation. 
Any person desiring to make a coffee estate 
chooses for his plaza, or plantation, high and 
steep ground, if possible facing east and west ; 
altitude above sea-level from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. 
Experience has proven that ground lower than 
1,000 feet is too apt in the dry season to parch 



CUBA. 5 1 

and give the plant insufficient moisture, whereas 
on the mountain side in the altitude mentioned 
the dews are always heavier, and the morning 
fogs settle longer and give the soil time to absorb 
the moisture it needs to sustain the plant during 
the hot hours of the day. For these reasons, and 
also to avoid the direct rays of the noonday sun, 
steep hillsides are chosen, facing east and west, 
as said above, if possible. As a general thing the 
planter, never having studied the chemical proper- 
ties of coffee-producing land, looks for ground 
where lance-wood, redwood and olive-wood grow 
as a never failing proof that the land is adapted 
for the cultivation of coffee. The land must be 
virgin soil. On this the planter puts his laborers 
to the work of clearing. The larger trees are 
burned out and the smaller trees and brush 
chopped down with ax and machete. The cost 
of clearing the land is about $500, Spanish, per 
caballeria (thirty-three and one-third acres). 

The land is lined out, the lines running from 
the top to the bottom of the hill, four feet apart. 
In these lines five or six coffee berries, three and 
one-half feet from each other and two inches from 
the surface, are planted. In other words, one cabel- 
leria contains, where the whole space can be util- 
ized, 100,000 plants. The coffee is planted during 
the rainy season — in March or September. In 
thirty-five or forty days the seeds begin to sprout. 



5 2 CUBA. 

These sprouts are allowed to grow for six months, 
after which the healthiest alone are left, the others 
being pulled out. The remaining sprout is left 
growing for eighteen or twenty months. In the 
meanwhile the planter, desiring that his land shall 
yield something, plants corn, plantains, and all 
kinds of vegetables ; also, at intervals between 
the rows, cacao, which, however, does not yield a 
full crop until the coffee plant is exhausted, say, 
in ten or twelve years. As soon as the coffee 
plant reaches a height of four feet it is stunted 
and trimmed, all young sprouts thereon being 
killed off in order to force all the strength into 
the fruit. For the first two years the plant pro- 
duces nothing ; the third year it yields a half crop ; 
on the fourth year a full crop, which runs from 
10,000 to 60,000 pounds of coffee, ready for the 
market, according to the condition of the soil, per 
cabelleria of thirty-three and one-third acres. 
This production continues for ten or more years, 
and the planter can gather his crop of cacao, 
planted as above. 

The coffee plant blooms in January to April, 
then the berry forms and is ripe for picking from 
August to December. The negro is paid for 
picking and delivering the berry at the " seca- 
dero " (a large platform made of stone, covered 
and smoothed with cement) fifty cents per bag. 
It is calculated that one hundred pounds of 



CUBA. 53 

berries yield fifteen pounds of marketable coffee. 
Each bag of berries delivered at the "secadero" 
must contain 200 to 300 pounds, and a good 
workman can pick three bags per day. 

Preparing: Coffee for Market. 

The berry is then spread on the " secadero" 
and exposed to the sun to dry. How long this 
takes depends wholly on the weather — under 
ordinary circumstances, say seventy-two hours. 
The berries while drying are repeatedly raked or 
turned over to quicken the process. During this 
process great watchfulness is required, as the 
slightest rain would ruin the berry. To prevent 
this covers are always ready for the ''secadero." 
These are cone-shaped, and when the berries are 
raked into heaps these covers completely protect 
them from rain and dew. 

When the berries are completely dried they 
are put into the "molina de pilar," which is a 
circular trough, usually cemented, in which a 
heavy wheel made of hard wood, the rim plated 
with metal, revolves. This wheel crushes the 
berry and leaves the bean. Ox or mule power is 
employed. The bean is then put into the blower 
to remove all particles of the outside shell. 
When the coffee is clean it is again put into the 
"molina de pilar" to receive a polish. If the 
color is too light a little charcoal is put into the 
trough with the coffee. 



54 



CUBA. 



The coffee, after this process, is ready to be 
put into bags and conveyed to market, which is 
done on mule-back. 

Another process, not so much in use now, 
owing to the fact that the coffee is exported, is 
washing. The berry, as it comes from the playa, 
is put into a crusher to press out the bean. The 
bean falling into a stone basin is left therein over 
night to rid it of the gum adhering to it. The 
next morning the basin is filled with water and 
the bean washed. This process is repeated two 
or three times, when the coffee is spread out on 
the " secadero " to dry. 

The coffee is conveyed to market on mule- 
back, in bags of about 102 pounds each, a mule 
carrying two bags and traveling ten leagues per 
day. The cost of carrying to market in this man- 
ner runs from 75 cents to $1 per load. 
Havana Cigars. 

There is a popular theory that since the 
choicest cigars come from Cuba, Havana is the 
best place in the world to buy them. American 
visitors when they come here expect to revel in the 
luxury of smoking the most delicate brands and 
of paying very little for them. Cigars are cheap, 
but not so good, in Havana. " I have sampled 
all brands in various stores," says an American 
traveler, "and have not found anything better 
than an ordinary Key West cigar that is sold in 




f m * J 






CUBA. 57 

New York. Exception must be made in favor of 
a handful which I received at a cigar factory as a 
present. These were very good. The cigars 
sold over the counter even in the best restaurants 
are not worth buying. The visitor who wants a 
fine brand cannot do better than to visit one of 
the best factories and make his purchases there, 
throwing himself upon the mercy of the pro- 
prietors and paying well for them. 

"The truth is that the world smokes too 
much to enjoy any longer the luxury of the pure 
Havana of other days. The district where the 
choicest leaf is produced in the Vuelta de Abajo 
is of limited area. It is surrounded by belts in 
which leaf of excellent color, but lacking in 
delicacy of aroma, is produced. It is soil rather 
than climate that regulates the quality of tobacco, 
and while the plant grows readily throughout 
Western Cuba, and in certain districts near 
Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Santiago, it is only 
from a comparatively small area that the best leaf 
can be obtained, and then only when the plants 
are trimmed after budding. The demand for 
well-known brands is very great, and it has to be 
met in some way. I was told in Santiago and 
Cienfuegos that much of the tobacco raised there 
was sent to Havana and made up as cigars pass- 
ing under the best names. The depreciation in 
the quality of Cuban cigars imported into the 
4 



58 CUBA. 

New York market during recent years is un- 
doubtedly to be accounted for by the artificial 
widening of the Vuelta de Abajo preserves so as 
to include various "hot" tobaccos, similar in 
color, but inferior in aroma. Heavy fertilizing, 
moreover, while increasing the productiveness of 
the land, injures the quality of the leaf. 

A Cigar Factory. 

" No visitor ought to neglect to visit at least 
one of the many large cigar factories of the city. I 
saw at the Corona works a force of 800 men, women 
and children employed in the various processes of 
grouping wrappers according to color, making 
cigars by hand, putting paper labels on them, 
sorting cigars and manufacturing cigarettes. This 
force is increased to 2000 in busy times. This fac- 
tory produces many millions of cigars in the course 
of a year, and about 2,000,000 cigarettes every 
forty-eight hours. The expense of cigarette- 
making is greatly reduced by ingenious machinery 
for filling and packing the paper-holders with to- 
bacco, closing them at both ends and finally emp- 
tying the trays in which the shells were placed 
before the delicate mechanism was brought to 
bear upon them. This machinery enables six 
men to do the work of 300, and turns out 600,000 
cigarettes a day. Apparently there is some ap- 
prehension felt lest this intricate mechanism may 
be reproduced in detail in the United States, for 



CUBA. 59 

the inventor, whose rights are controlled by the 
Corona, will not allow any visitor with a camera 
to enter the room. Wonderful as the improvement 
in machinery for tobacco-working has been, it has 
not emancipated children from this unhealthy and 
laborious employment. 

"In one of the departments I saw groups of 
sallow-faced children under ten years making 
cheroots and leaf-cigarettes. One was a little 
thing, with a pale, wizened face, bending over the 
table, with strained eyes, and working nervously 
with her tiny fingers as rapidly as the two strong 
women between whom she was sitting. Rarely 
have I seen a more pathetic figure than this child, 
so preoccupied with her work that she could not 
spend time to look at the visitors pausing before 
her with pitying eyes. I asked her age. She was 
barely six years old, and could make 3000 of these 
cheroots a day — almost as many as her mother. 
American visitors will do well to avoid that corner 
of the Corona. Cigars may never have the same 
flavor for them again if they see a child of six 
bending and straining over a work-table in order 
to make them for the pleasure of the grand cabal- 
leros of the gay world." 

Sugar Plantations and Mills. 

Matanzas is one of the largest sugar-pro- 
ducing centres in Cuba. Last year it exported 
about 160,000 tons to the United States and 60,000 



6o CUBA. 

tons of molasses. More molasses is made here 
than in Cienfuegos, but there is never anything 
wasted by the Cuban planters anywhere by any 
process of the manufacture of sugar. The cen- 
trifugating machines separate the syrup into 
sugar and molasses, each of the first grade. This 
molasses is then worked over a second time with 
more syrup, and the centrifugators divide the 
combination into sugar and molasses, each of the 
second grade. This second grade of molasses 
is carried through a distillery and converted into 
rum of various grades. In these hard times 
sugar-planters cannot afford to lose anything at 
all sweetish that comes from the cane. They sell 
their sugar, molasses, and prime rum in New 
York, and their worst rum is worked off in the 
Mexican trade. The refuse cane makes the 
engines go. 

The processes and machinery employed here 
closely resemble those found elsewhere. There 
is one plantation, owned by the Count de Ybanex, 
which is operated differently. The cane instead 
of being ground by milling machinery is cut up 
into small sections and the sugar is worked out 
of it by water, by a process of diffusion similar to 
that employed in the manufacture of beet sugar. 
This method has been tested with satisfactory 
results during the last year at this plantation, 
and has been adopted tentatively at one other 



CUBA. 6 1 

Cuban factory. More labor is required and coal 
is necessary, but it is asserted that the increased 
expense is more than made up by the larger per- 
centage of sugar obtained from the cane. One 
of the most prominent planters here has furnished 
me with a table showing the percentage obtained 
by seven processes of diffusion by water, the 
aggregate result being the extraction of over 992 
parts of the thousand. The proportion is twelve 
to ten in favor of the diffusion against the or- 
dinary milling process. About 143 tons a day 
are produced by diffusion on the plantation to 
which I have referred, and this is done with 
machinery which has not been perfected. 

It would be a singular result if the diffusion 
process by which the cultivation of European 
beet sugar has been largely developed and en- 
abled to crowd out cane sugar were adopted 
generally in Cuba as a means of cheapening and 
enlarging the product. One manufacturer, who 
has made sugar by the grinding method for many 
years, believes that this will happen. He admits 
that the change of method will involve the aban- 
donment of an extensive plant and the substitu- 
tion of much new machinery ; but he contends 
that a revolution in the current processes of making 
cane sugar is impending. The Spanish Govern- 
ment now blocks the way by imposing a duty of 
one to two dollars a ton on coal. The diffusion 



62 CUBA. 

process involves the necessity of using coal, and 
the duty materially increases the cost of pro- 
duction. This is an apt illustration of the burdens 
imposed upon Cuba by a tariff system which does 
not protect any of its industrial and productive 
interests. 

Mow Sugar is Ma^e, 

Soledad has the reputation of being the best 
managed sugar plantation in Cuba. It produced 
last year 12,000,000 pounds of sugar, and this 
year it will probably send to market 14,000,000 
pounds. Other plantations largely exceed it in 
cultivated area and mechanical resources, Con- 
stancia having a product of 40,000,000 pounds, 
but Soledad is conducted on scientific principles 
and with American thoroughness, system, and or- 
ganization, so that there is the greatest saving in 
the cost of production and the largest margin for 
profit on the investment. All the improved ma- 
chinery is here ; every time-saving and labor- 
dispensing device is employed, and the maximum 
amount of sugar is obtained from the cane at the 
lowest possible cost. Soledad is largely owned 
by Americans. 

Soledad lies near a picturesque little river 
flowing into the bay of Cienfuegos. It is reached 
from the town after a delightful sail on a steam 
yacht across the bay and up the river, and a short 
railway ride from the wharf to the sugar works 



CUBA. 63 

and plantation house. When the train draws up 
before the door the manager is at hand with genial 
smile and graceful hospitality to welcome his 
guests, and to conduct them personally over the 
works. With his explanations the intricate pro- 
cesses of converting cane into sugar are speedily 
revealed. Then follows a plantation breakfast 
served in the airy dining-room of his house with 
lavish hospitality and refinement of courtesy. 
The dining-room adjoins the parlor or reception 
room, which is furnished in characteristic Cuban 
style with cane settees and rocking-chairs — a 
spacious, high-studded room on the second floor, 
with windows overlooking the sugar works, and 
a lovely plantation garden. The floors are bare, 
carpets never being used on the island, but no 
Yankee housewife with a mania for sweeping, 
dusting, and polishing can have a more scrupu- 
lously neat parlor than what the manager face- 
tiously describes as the bachelors hall of Soledad. 
An afternoon passed in a planter's house is some- 
thing to be treasured in memory as one of the de- 
lightful experiences of a lifetime. 

The first sugar plantation in Cuba was 
established about a hundred years after the dis- 
covery of the island. For three centuries the 
chief industry of the island has been the cultiva- 
tion of cane and its conversion into sugar. For 
a long period the processes of manufacture were 



64 CUBA. 

crude, inexpensive and wasteful, oxen being 
employed in grinding cane, and the machinery 
being of the roughest and simplest design. It is 
no longer either practicable or profitable to raise 
cane, and make sugar on a small scale. Steam 
has taken the place of the ox and mule, not only 
in the grinding mills, but to a large extent in the 
fields. At Soledad the cane is carried to the 
works by long trains running on narrow-gauge 
railways through the estate. It is unloaded from 
the cars by negroes and thrown upon a broad 
carrier traveling up a long incline to the rollers 
of the first mill. As many as fifteen men are 
employed in handling this moving mass of cane. 
When it reaches the first mill it is ground by 
rollers weighing fifteen tons and set close to- 
gether. The cane is broken up and about sixty 
per cent, of the liquor which it contains is drawn 
off underneath the mill. Under the old process 
there was only one grinding and much of the 
liquor was wasted. Now the cane is ground 
twice and an additional fifteen per cent, of 
the juice is obtained. Streams of liquor from 
the vats of the two mills unite and pass through 
a strainer, one workman being employed in rak- 
ing off floating refuse and preventing obstruc- 
tions. The liquor is then ready to be pumped 
into the boiling works. 

The refuse of the cane after the two grind- 



CUBA. 65 

ings is the only fuel used in the works. It is 
carried by moving conductors to the furnaces and 
dumped automatically, being dried by the intense 
heat and consumed as rapidly as it is fed. Wood 
was used as fuel when the steam engine was 
introduced in sugar works, and subsequently 
bagasse, or refuse cane, was put with it. Boilers 
have been invented to facilitate the employment 
of bagasse as fuel. Those used here are the 
Porcupine boilers of the Stillwater pattern. 
Ordinarily, when the furnaces are fed with 
bagasse, a force of eighty laborers is constantly 
occupied in transferring it from the mills to the 
boiler-house. At Soledad two men do the work 
of eighty ; or, to speak more accurately, the 
automatic action of the mechanical conductors 
dispenses with the labor of seventy-eight men. 
Indeed, a close approach is made here to the 
solution of the old problem of perpetual motion. 
The cane, when fed to the conductors, serves to 
keep all the complex machinery of the works in 
operation; the broken and crushed fragments of 
bagasse are carried to the furnaces and furnish 
the power by which not only the grinding, but 
also the pumping and boiling are done ; all that 
is not juice, but sheer waste, goes into the pro- 
duction of force by which the mills are kept 
grinding and the liquor clarified, boiled and crys- 
tallized into sugar. 



66 CUBA. 

Cathedral and Custom House. 

Some 300 years ago, when Spain held 
dominion over the greater part of the New 
World, and the city of Havana was rising up as a 
central station and key to these possessions, a 
magnificent cathedral was erected, fronting the 
sea, inside of the beautiful bay which now f6rms 
the harbor, and just about the centre of the front 
of the walled city. This cathedral was said to be 
the finest in the New World, and was held in great 
veneration. When Havana was captured by the 
British in 1762, a considerable force was landed 
to garrison the place, a part of which was cavalry 
with little regard for the sacredness of the edifice, 
the conquerors used the cathedral as a stable for 
their horses. A year later the city was restored 
to Spain by the treaty of peace signed at Paris, 
and the cathedral was restored to its rightful 
owners. In consideration of the use to which it 
had been put by the British, it was declared to 
be defiled and desecrated and entrance to 
it was strictly forbidden. For a period of 100 
years the stately building was condemned to 
be closely shut up in darkness. When that 
period had elapsed, the building was reopened 
but never again was used as a place of wor- 
ship. It was converted into a custom house 
and devoted to the secular purposes of the Gov- 
ernment. 



cuba. 6y 

The Danse du Ventre in Cuba. 

" I attended," says a recent visitor, "a dra- 
matic performance at the Alhambra one night. 
Three zarzuelas, or short one-act plays, are pre- 
sented, and after each one a baile, or dance resem- 
bling the Cancan, is performed (in this instance) 
by three women and three men. The dancers 
are very graceful, and although the tempo of the 
music is disconcerting to my ear, they manage to 
keep perfect time, which is perhaps the most re- 
markable feature of it. 

"But the dance of the evening is given by a 
slender and rather pretty Spanish girl, very 
modestly costumed and accompanied by soft, 
voluptuous music. She is assisted by a nimble 
male dancer, who circles about her with simple, 
yet graceful steps, advancing wildly toward her 
at intervals as if about to embrace her ; she 
escapes him, however, and he himself seems to 
think better of it on reflection, retiring discreetly 
to the back of the stage where he gesticulates 
madly to some mysterious personage in the flies, 
appearing to give up the whole business as a bad 
job. The dance of la senorita has so far been 
similar to that given by Carmencita, but now her 
movements become nothing more than a series 
of wriggles and contortions of the abdomen and 
hips — it is, in fact, the danse du ventre exactly as 
seen in the Midway Plaisance, only more suggest- 



68 CUBA. 

ive and indecent than the Chicago article and 
infinitely more graceful. 

"Amid a final discordant crash on the part of 
the orchestra and howls of delight from the 
audience, the curtain descends, when the Ameri- 
can visitor betakes himself to the cafe to escape 
the inevitable encore and to enjoy his cigarette 
and lemonade in peace.'' 

The Bull Ring*. 

The most famous popular amusement in 
Havana is, however, bull-fighting, especially on 
Sundays. 

As early as 2 o'clock the people begin to 
gather at the ring, although the sport will not be- 
gin until 4. In the meantime a vast quantity of 
lemonade, water sweetened with panales, cheap 
wine and cognac, is disposed of by the hot and 
thirsty crowd. In the palcos (boxes) many senoras 
are to be seen with fan and mantilla, attended by 
dandies smoking cigarettes or big black cigars. 

Everybody is talking, the band plays gay 
music and occasionally you hear the bulls bellow- 
ing in their pens outside the ring. 

The latter is about eighty feet in diameter 
and surrounded by a board fence some four feet 
high, over which the fighters vault when hard 
pressed by the bull. At 4 o'clock exactly the 
president enters his palco, signals with his hand- 
kerchief for the slaughter to begin, and from the 



CUBA. 69 

opposite side the bull-fighters enter the enclosure, 
marching in pairs across to the president, whom 
they salute before taking their several positions 
about the arena. 

The trumpet sounds and as the bull bounds 
into the ring, a rosette of colored paper fastened 
to a sharp piece of metal is driven into his shoulder. 
This is unpleasant for the bull, and, snorting with 
anger, he charges on an offensive partisan, called 
a capeador, who gently waves a red cloak before 
him. Just as the animal reaches him, he steps 
nimbly aside, escaping by a hairs-breadth. 

For ten or fifteen minutes the bull is teased 
in this manner by the gentlemen with gaudy cloaks, 
when at another signal from the president the 
trumpet sounds again and a banderillero enters 
armed with banderillas — short sticks ornamented 
with colored paper, having wicked-looking barbs 
or darts in the ends. 

The banderillero, taking one of these pleasant 
toys in either hand, approaches his enemy, raising 
himself on tiptoe and waving his arms up and 
down. The eyes of the bull have a dangerous 
gleam, as he faces the fighter, pawing the ground 
and bellowing with rage. Suddenly he lowers his 
head and rushes straight at the banderillero, who 
calmly awaits the onset, until the bull is within 
three feet of him, when, like lightning, he hurls 
the darts into the animal's neck and escapes with 



70 CUBA. 

nothing worse than a tumble. Sometimes these 
banderillas have bombs affixed to them, which 
explode under the bull's skin, causing him to 
feel very ill, and amusing the audience beyond 
expression. This act, when cleverly executed, 
calls forth rapturous applause and showers of 
silver coin and cigars, while some throw their 
hats into the ring — wearing old ones there for 
the purpose. 

El Toro, who up to this time has been fight- 
ing with great courage, is streaming with blood 
and begins to lose confidence in his " rushes." 
The people, too, are impatient and clamor for the 
deathstroke, and at a final signal from the presi- 
dential box the matador, carrying a red flag and a 
long, slender sword, makes a salute and takes his 
position. The business of the other fighters now 
is to tease and madden' the bull while endeavoring 
to direct his attention to the matador. The latter 
waves his red banner, advances, retreats, while 
the audience yells and the band plays. The poor 
victim is fairly blind with rage by this time, and 
steadying himself for a moment for a last mighty 
effort, makes a dash toward the matador, who, 
with a deft and vigorous stroke, pierces the heart 
of the bull and the butchery is finished. 

A brutal sport, you say ? Well, it may be 
so ; yet, as a Cuban friend puts it, how much 
more refined and elevating is it to see two per- 



CUBA. 7 \ 

fectly developed human animals beat each other's 
heads to a jelly with two-ounce gloves ? 
The Tomb of Columbus. 
One of the first conventional duties which 
an American visitor feels called upon to perform 
is to pay his tribute to the discoverer of America 
by visiting the Cathedral and reading the Spanish 
doggerel inscription near an altar with porphyry 
pillars. If he be uncertain whether it was the 
great Christopher who was really buried there, 
and not Brother Diego, who was disinterred in 
Santo Domingo and brought over by mistake, he 
needs to hasten back to the hotel and not to 
make a short detour in order to glance at the 
wretched little Columbus Chapel erected where 
the discoverer is reputed to have attended the 
first Mass ever celebrated in Havana — one of the 
most bare-faced fictions ever repeated by priest 
or layman. Before going more than three blocks 
he will be in the centre of one of the most inter- 
esting trading-places of Havana. In Compostela 
and adjoining streets he will be among the pawn- 
shops, where the best bargains in the West 
Indies are to be made. These shops are stocked 
with old furniture, plate, china, jewelry, clocks, 
watches, firearms, fans, laces, medals and orna- 
ments, with everything of value on which bank- 
rupt or spendthrift planters, soldiers and gamblers 
have been able to borrow money. Three months 



72 CUBA. 

only are allowed for the redemption of the 
goods. Long ago the time expired and now 
everything is at the disposal of the Yankee pur- 
chasers eager to obtain curios or anything that is 
very old and at the same time very cheap. 
Among the Pawn-shops. 
There is no more unerring sign of the ex- 
haustion of Cuban resources than the revelations 
of these pawn-shops, which monopolize the trade 
of foreign visitors. In these shops are to be 
found heirlooms that were handed down from 
one generation to another ; medals of honor for 
bravery in the field ; engagement rings, neck- 
laces, diamonds, antique lace that has been worn 
by heiresses, and costly fans behind which have 
shone the dark eyes of the belles of Havana ; 
furniture of the colonial period, of which the New 
England stock was long ago exhausted by the 
demands of curiosity-hunters, and silver and 
china of antiquated patterns, which would be 
marked up to the highest figures in fashionable 
New York stores. The pressure of hard times 
caused by the losses of the patriotic war and by 
the stupendous folly and supreme selfishness of 
Spanish economic law have brought all this wealth 
of bric-a-brac into the cheapest of cheap markets. 
The pawnbroker names his price, and it is a low 
one ; but if he be offered one-half or one-third as 
much, he will drive a bargain rather than see an 







I 

o 



CUBA. 75 

American customer with gold in hand leave the 

shop. 

A Hard Bargain. 

It may be well to warn American travelers 
against venturing into this quarter until the sights 
of the town have been "done," the drives taken, 
and the excursions made ; for otherwise they may 
leave Havana without seeing anything except the 
railway station, their hotel, and the pawn-shops. 
A New Yorker and his charming wife got into 
the pawn-shops soon after their arrival, and they 
remained there almost continuously until the 
Tampa steamer was ready to sail. The husband 
started out early each morning for Compostela 
Street ; in the afternoon his wife accompanied him 
to temper his ardor, and in the evening he 
returned alone to clinch the bargains. Sunday 
brought with it some scruples of conscience, and the 
wife succeeded in carrying him off to high Mass at 
the Cathedral ; but after the noon-breakfast he was 
overpowered by the fatal fascination and crept 
back to the pawn-shops for more bargains, re- 
turning with a guilty conscience, but laden with 
booty. 

On the following day the interpreter was fairly 
compelled to drive him out of the pawn-shops in 
order to get him on board the steamer before the 
sailing hour. Retribution for Sabbath-breaking 
met him on deck in the person of the medical 
5 



76 CUBA. 

officer employed by the United States authorities 
to protect the health of Florida. 

This stern official refused to allow a tall 
colonial clock, which had been bought at a pawn- 
shop, boxed and carried like a coffin to the ship 
to be received as private baggage. He remarked 
sententiously that it was an old clock, and might 
have germs of yellow fever concealed under its 
antique dial-plate. A long parley proved ineffect- 
ual, and the suspected clock was sent ashore to 
the medical officer's house to be quarantined. 
Two days afterwards it was sent to Florida by the 
next steamer. What precautions had been taken 
to disinfect the clock, and to render its shipment 
safe is not known ; but there was a fee of two 
dollars paid for the quarantine. Private baggage 
containing fabrics which might more reasonably 
be supposed to be disease carriers was not over- 
hauled ; but Florida was protected with inflexible 
purpose against the risks of contagion through an 

old clock. 

Matanzas. 

The decadence of a once prosperous and 
beautiful city is a melancholy spectacle. Matan- 
zas in its best days was a luxurious centre of 
wealth and fashion, as well of profitable industry 
and commerce. Surrounded with sugar, coffee 
and tobacco plantations, it ranked after Havana as 
the busiest hive in flowering Cuba. All the indus- 



CUBA. 



77 



tries of the island were carried on with success 
on the verdant hillsides and undulating plains 
encircling its spacious and picturesque harbor. 
The Yumuri Valley was dotted with country 
seats, where rich planters entertained their 
guests with prodigal hospitality. Their massive 
town houses were miniature palaces built with 
showy colonnades and stone verandas, and fur- 
nished with lavish expense. On the coast were 
their summer cottages, where their families could 
enjoy the refreshing northern sea-breeze in 
seasons of inclement heat. The San Carlos 
Paseo was blocked with carriages in the after- 
noon, and the evenings were filled with gayety 
and sumptuous entertainment. All is now 
changed. Emancipation and the insurrection 
impoverished the rich planters. Many of the 
finest estates passed into the hands of Spanish 
immigrants and adventurers, who have been con- 
demned to maintain an exhausting and ruinous 
struggle against a system grounded upon viola- 
tions of economic law. Planters who have 
escaped confiscation and conformed to the con- 
ditions of free labor have witnessed the gradual 
shrinkage of the profits of their industries and the 
collapse of their fortunes. Costly residences which 
were once valued at $150,000 are now offered, 
without purchasers, at $25,000. Depreciation of 
values is even greater here than in Havana. 



78 CUBA. 

Country seats which were conspicuous for ele- 
gance and social festivity are now bare, silent 
and fallen to decay. The seaside villas are 
shabby and tenantless. The famous San Carlos 
drive is a neglected and unfrequented road. 
Matanzas is a centre of unremunerative, labor- 
ious and unsatisfactory commerce, a city haunted 
with memories of its former prosperity. 

All is changed save the beauty of the land- 
scape setting of the city and the unrivalled 
splendor of the marine views from hillside and 
headland. No grander prospect can be had in 
Cuba than that which opens from the Chapel of 
Monserrate back of the town. The Yumuri 
flows through a gorge four miles in length, which 
is walled off to the right and left by abrupt and 
picturesque hillsides. There is a wide-reaching 
vista beyond with plantations of sugar, coffee and 
tobacco, groves of palmettos, pineapples, cocoa- 
nuts and orange trees, thickets of almond trees 
and limes, fields of corn and patches of potatoes, 
and here and there a stately royal palm. From 
one of the highest coigns of vantage near the 
city may be seen plantations and farms on which 
every fruit and product known in Cuba is under 
cultivation ; and the landscape is fringed with 
dense woods, wherein ebony, mahogany, cedar 
and even rosewood, flourish. From Monserrate 
it is a short drive to the Plaza de Armas, with its 



CUBA. 79 

fine display of tropical flowers, to the Govern- 
ment buildings and club houses and the water 
front ; but it is on a moonlit evening that the bay 
roads offer superior scenic attractions. The vivid 
sunlight lays bare mercilessly the faded glories of 
the town and the ravages of commercial ruin. 
By moonlight, one needs to be told of the 
neglected condition of these once famous drives 
and promenades ; and the pathos of faded gran- 
deur and exhausted fortunes makes only a transi- 
tory impression upon a sympathetic mind. San 
Severino Castle and the ruined fortifications are 
enveloped with silvery radiance. The San Juan 
River, with its dingy lines of crumbling ware- 
houses, is softened and transfigured. The broad 
bay, with its sparkling shipping lights and the 
ocean beyond, foaming upon a coral ledge, are 
silhouettes to be seen and never forgotten. 
A Wonderful Cave. 
The visitor has also at Matanzas a natural 
phenomenon which cannot be rivalled in Cuba. 
This is the subterranean passage through a for- 
mation of carbonate of lime, known as the caves 
of Bellamar. The road follows the shore of the 
bay and then over the rocky hillside for a distance 
of five miles. The old-fashioned volante, a vehicle 
which has been displaced in Havana by the 
Victoria, is here required. It has two great 
wheels, on which rest the thills, with seats for 



80 CUBA. 

three above them suspended by straps. The 
pony between the thills is accompanied and 
partly preceded by another, which the driver rides 
like a postilion. It is a hard, jolting drive to the 
caves, and a laborious descent by steps, bridges, 
and cavernous passages underground. Guides 
are in advance with long bees-wax tapers, which 
light up here and there recesses and corners of 
the high -vaulted chambers. The ceiling is hung 
with crystals, and the sides are buttressed with 
stalactites and stalagmites of bewildering beauty 
and lustre. The passage underground is many 
hundred feet in length and offers a succession of 
spectral lace-work combinations of crystal archi- 
tecture in amber, pink, and gray. The largest of 
the chambers is fancifully named the Gothic 
Temple, and is provided with a jeweled altar, 
near which hangs the Virgin's cloak, embroidered 
with resplendent lace, and heavy with glistening 
pendants. The garrulous guides see all these 
wonders if the visitors do not, and photographs 
are available at the entrance, if doubts are 
to be removed. The tapers furnish streaks 
of light that are utterly inadequate to illumine 
these wonderful caves. 



CHAPTER IV. 



HOW THE ISLAND IS GOVERNED THE CAPTAIN- 
GENERAL — FREEDOM OF THE PRESS LOCAL 

GOVERNMENTS ELECTORAL TRICKERY " NO 

CUBANS NEED APPLY" THE SPANISH SENATE 

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CUBANS CARPET-BAG- 
GERS TO THE FORE IN THE LOCAL OFFICES 

SQUEEZING THE ORANGE THE AWFUL BURDEN 

OF DEBT TREATMENT OF NATIVE INDUSTRY 

BAD COMMERCIAL LAWS CUBA RUINED FOR THE 

SAKE OF SPAIN SALARIED CARPET-BAGGERS 

INDUSTRIES DRIVEN TO BANKRUPTY NO PUBLIC 

INSTRUCTION EARLY DISCONTENT LOPEZ AND 

HIS RAIDS THE KILLING OF PINTO. 




ORRUPT and incapable administration 
has always been a Spanish character- 
istic. Cuba has been reduced to its 
present extremities largely through the rapacity 
of the governing class in former years. If there 
has been a marked improvement during recent 
years so that the Captain-General now expects to 
return to Spain only with what he has saved from 
his salary, and the burden of direct taxation has 
been decreased rather than increased, it is be- 
cause the industrial resources of the island have 

(81) 



82 CUBA. 

been exhausted through old-time methods of 
plundering the population and systematic viola- 
tion of the economic laws of exchange. The 
orange has been pressed dry ; even Spanish ad- 
ministration does not attempt to squeeze the 
seeds remaining on the spongy pulp. For this 
reason sugar planters and tobacco farmers are 
now frank in admitting that the direct taxes on 
their land and industries are not unduly high. 
It is the burden of indirect taxation by which the 
cost of living and of production is heavily in- 
creased and the exchangeable value of sugar and 
tobacco correspondingly reduced that is over- 
whelming this wonderfully fertile island with ruin. 
The country is poor and impoverished ; the 
palaces of the nobles are deserted ; there has 
been an extraordinary shrinkage of real estate 
valuations ; the treasury is exhausted with ex- 
travagant payments for an inefficient and corupt 
civil service and the interest on the war debt, 
which is held in Spain ; and the municipalities are 
without means for ordinary public improvements 
and enforcing sanitary regulations. Havana is 
capable of becoming what Humboldt found it in 
his day — one of the most brilliant and imposing 
capitals of the world. The old city was well 
built of enduring stone, which only grows harder 
with the lapse of time. The Cathedral, churches 
and public buildings were fashioned at a time 



CUBA. 83 

when severe and simple architecture without 
meretricious ornamentation was in vogue in 
Spain. Even the great prison, which is the most 
prominent object from the harbor, is not without 
good lines. The newer portions of the town are 
well laid out with broad shaded avenues, fre- 
quent squares and breathing places, a spacious 
alameda and a fine botanical garden adjoining 
the Captain-General's country seat. Even in its 
ruined estate, where public grounds are neglected, 
street pavements in great need of repair, and 
the whole town fairly perishing for lack of fresh 
paint, poor, faded Havana has an air of distinction 
and even grandeur. 

With good administration the city could be 
transformed in a decade. A canal constructed so 
as to let the tides into the back bay would flush 
out a harbor that is now a cesspool and restore 
the healthfulness of the town. Moderate expen- 
ditures could restore the crumbling plaster of the 
public buildings, replace the broken lines of 
shade trees in the avenues, and restore the bright- 
ness and glory of the Cuban capital. Havana 
now awaits, like a queen in tattered, patched and 
soiled robes, the turn of the wheel which shall re- 
invest her with the dignity of her prosperous days 
of power and wealth. So long as Spanish ad- 
ministration and a ruinous economic policy con- 
tinue in force, it is a lottery with blanks. 



84 CUBA. 

The Captain-General. 

The chief of the Cuban Government is a 
Captain-General, the representative of the Crown, 
appointed by the home Government and account- 
able only to that body. By a royal edict issued June 
9th, 1878, his prerogatives are defined as follows: 
He is the commander of the army and navy, as 
well as the highest authority in Cuba, and is em- 
powered to overrule any decision at a meeting of 
the superior authorities, including the courts of 
judicature under his presidency, and also to with- 
hold the execution of any order, resolution or law 
issued by the home Government whenever he 
deems it advisable to do so. Practically, he has 
the powers of life and death in his hands and is 
as absolute as a Czar. 

As a rule, this office is highly coveted by 
Spaniards, and, generally speaking, after a short 
rule, which rarely exceeds a term of three or four 
years, the majority of its incumbents return home 
to enjoy the fruits of the harvest, as the emolu- 
ments are considerable. The Captain-General 
has a salary of $50,000 a year, a winter palace 
and a country-seat, horses, carriages, attendants, 
a retinue of servants, and almost everything, pro- 
vided for him at the expense of the Government. 
It is a military office, usually filled by distin- 
guished generals, who have won their laurels in 
the Spanish army. 



CUBA. 85 

Next in rank to the Captain-General is the 
General of Marine or Admiral of the Port, who 
occupies a handsome palace, also provided by 
the Government, and who has carriages, horses 
and attendants from the same source. Then 
follows the Segundo Cabo, who is Captain- 
General pro tern, during the absence of that 
functionary from the capital. The Civil-Governor 
has charge of the civil administration of Havana. 
The generals of artillery, cavalry, engineers, 
infantry and gendarmes are also provided with 
quarters suitable to their ranks. 

The Commandant of the Navy Yard is next in 
rank to the Admiral of the Port, and he has a 
handsome residence at his post. From twelve to 
twenty men-of-war are stationed in the waters of 
Cuba, and the standing army on the island usually 
numbers 22,866 officers and men. Besides these 
military rulers there are the Governor of the 
Morro, of La Cabana, El Principe and other 
strongholds. 

The chief of police of Havana is an officer of 
the regular army, and the divisions and subdivi- 
sions under his control consist of commissaries, 
aladores, constables and sergeants, who are civil- 
ians ; the police force of Havana numbers j6j 
men, taken from the ranks of the regular army, 
soldiers of or den publico (public order) and guar- 
dia civiles (gendarmes). 



86 CUBA. 

Freedom of the Press. 

At the close of the rebellion, or so-called 
Cuban insurrection in 1878, freedom of the press 
was established, as well as freedom of speech, 
but in 1 88 1 this freedom was modified by an 
edict requiring every editor or manager of a 
newspaper to send, duly signed, two copies to 
Government headquarters and submit two others 
to the District-Attorney as soon as printed, who 
shall determine whether they contain any objec- 
tionable matter. By the press law the royal 
family and the form of government under the 
Spanish Constitution are tabooed subjects. Ed- 
itors are often fined and the publications of their 
journals is suspended for going beyond the cir- 
cumscribed limits. 

By a royal edict issued June 9, 1878, Cuba is 
entitled to elect to the Spanish Cortes one repre- 
sentative for every 40,000 white and colored 
inhabitants. By another decree, issued shortly 
after, the island was divided into six provinces. 
Still another, issued June 21, 1878, provided 
municipal laws, supplemented with requisite elec- 
tion laws. In each province the administration 
of affairs is committed to an Assembly, elected 
by the people, and a Governor sent out from 
Spain, the incumbent being an officer of the 
Spanish army. The province is entitled to three 
representatives for every one of its judicial dis- 



CUBA. 87 

tricts, except that no province shall elect more than 
twenty or less than twelve representatives. As 
soon as the provincial representatives are elected 
they meet and nominate by ballot three candidates 
from among themselves, one of whom is chosen 
president by the Captain-General, who may, in 
accordance to the same law, discard their candi- 
date and choose another to preside over it. The 
Provincial Governor selects five Assemblymen as 
members of the Provincial Committee and submits 
their names to the Captain -General for ratification. 
This committee serves as arbiter or counsellor 
when called on in reference to any municipal 
election, and performs various duties during- the 
recess. The vice-president of this committee is 
appointed from among the members by the 
Captain-General, at the suggestion of the Pro- 
vincial Governor, who, when it suits him, may 
preside over any sitting, with the right to vote. 
Local Governments. 
Provincial representatives are elected for 
four years, but one-half are replaced every two 
years by new ones. Their biennial election 
occurs during the first fortnight of September. 
The assemblies meet at the capital oi their pro- 
vinces on the first working day of the fifth and 
tenth months of the fiscal year. If during that 
period anything should happen to render discus- 
sions or debates dangerous, the Provincial Gov- 



88 CUBA. 

ernor is obliged to prorogue the Assembly and 
advise the Captain-General of that fact imme- 
diately. He is likewise authorized to suspend 
any Provincial Assembly in a body when the 
preservation of public order may so require. 

According to the municipal law, the smallest 
number of inhabitants entitled to self-government 
is 500, who may elect five Aldermen, at every 
meeting of whom the Provincial Governor is 
entitled to preside. The board levies municipal 
taxes. 

Cuba possesses two judicial divisions, those 
of Puerto Principe, with jurisdiction over the 
adjoining province of Santiago de Cuba, and of 
Havana, with jurisdiction over the remainder. 
First comes the high court, called Tribunal Su- 
premo ; then provincial courts, "Audiencias 
Territoriales" ; country magistrates, "Tribunales 
de Partido"; court of first instance, " Juggado de 
Instruccion"; municipal courts, Tribunales Muni- 
cipales, and justices of the peace, "Jueces de 
Paz." By a decree issued in January, 1891, the 
civil and criminal courts are incorporated into 
one, and this measure has been highly displeas- 
ing to Cubans. 

Electoral Trickery. 

In order to render the native Cuban power- 
less in his own country, Spain, legislating for 
Cuba without restriction, as it does, and only to 



CUBA. 89 

give him an electoral law so artfully framed as to 
accomplish two objects : First, to reduce the num- 
ber of voters ; second, to give always a majority 
to the Spaniards, that is, to the European colo- 
nists, notwithstanding that the latter represent 
only nine and three-tenths per cent, of the total 
population of Cuba. To this effect it made the 
electoral right dependent on the payment of a 
very high poll tax, which proved the more burden- 
some as the war had ruined the larger number of 
Cuban proprietors. In this way it succeeded in 
restricting the right of suffrage to only 53,000 in- 
habitants in an island which has a population of 
1,600,000 ; that is to say, to the derisive propor- 
tion of three per cent, of the total number of in- 
habitants. 

In order to give a decided preponderance 
to the Spanish-European element, the electoral 
law has ignored the practice generally observed 
in those countries where the right to vote depends 
on the payment of a poll tax, and has afforded all 
the facilities to acquire the electoral privilege to 
industry, commerce, and public officials, to the 
detriment of the territorial property (the owner- 
ship of real estate). To accomplish this, while 
the rate of the territorial tax is reduced to two 
per cent., an indispensable measure, in view of 
the ruinous condition of the land-owners, the ex- 
orbitant contribution of $25 is required from those 



90 CUBA. 

who would be electors as freeholders. The law 
has, moreover, thrown the doors wide open for the 
perpetration of fraud by providing that the simple 
declaration of the head of a commercial house is 
sufficient to consider all its employees as partners, 
having, therefore, the right to vote. This has 
given us firms with thirty or more partners. By 
this simple scheme almost all the Spaniards re- 
siding in Cuba are turned into electors, despite 
the explicit provisions of the law. Thus it comes 
to pass that the municipal district of Guines, with 
a population of 13,000 inhabitants, only 500 of 
which are Spaniards and Canary Islanders, shows 
on its electoral list the names of thirty-two native 
Cubans and of four hundred Spaniards — only 
0.25 per cent, of the Cuban to 80 per cent, of 
the Spanish population. 

N o Cubans Need Apply. 
But, as if this were not enough, a so-called 
Permanent Commission of Provincial Deputations 
decides every controversy that may arise as to 
who is to be included in or excluded from the 
list of electors, and the members of this Commis- 
sion are appointed by the Governor-General. 
It is unnecessary to say that its majority has 
always been devoted to the government. In 
case any elector considers himself wronged by 
the decision of the Permanent Commission, he 
can appeal to the " Audiencia" (higher court) of 



to 

! 

o 




CUBA. 93 

the district; but the "Audiencias" are almost en- 
tirely made up of European magistrates ; they 
are subject to the authority of the Governor- 
General, being mere political tools in his hands. 
As a conclusive instance of the manner in which 
those tribunals do justice to the claims of Cuban 
electors, it will be sufficient to cite a case which 
occurred in Santa Clara in 1892, where 1,000 
fully qualified liberal electors were excluded at 
one time, for the simple omission to state their 
names at the end of the act presented by the 
elector who headed the claim. In more than one 
case has the same "Audiencia" applied two dif- 
ferent criteria to identical cases. The "Au- 
diencia" of Havana, in 1887, ignoring the explicit 
provisions of the law, excused the employees 
from the condition of residence, a condition that 
the same tribunal exacted before. The same 
"Audiencia" in 1885 declared that the contribu- 
tions to the State and to the Municipality were 
accumulative, and in 1887 decided the opposite. 
This inconsistency had for its object to sponge 
from the lists hundreds of Cuban electors. In 
this way the Spanish Government and tribunals 
have endeavored to teach respect for the law and 
for the practice of wholesome electoral customs 
to the Cuban colonists ! 

It will be easily understood now why on 
some occasions the Cuban representation in the 

6 



94 CUBA. 

Spanish Parliament has been made up of only 
three deputies, and in the most favorable epochs 
the numbei of Cuban representatives has not 
exceeded six. Three deputies in a body of 430 
members ! The genuine representation of Cuba 
has not reached sometimes 0.96 per cent, of the 
total number of members of the Spanish Con- 
gress. The great majority of the Cuban depu- 
tation has always consisted of Spanish Peninsu- 
lars. In this manner, the ministers of "Ultramar" 
(ministers of the Colonies), whenever they have 
thought necessary to give an honest or decent 
appearance to their legislative acts by an alleged 
majority of Cuban votes, could always command 
the latter, that is, the Peninsulars. 

The Spanish Senate. 
As regards the representation in the Senate, 
the operation has been more simple still. The 
qualifications required to be a Senator have proved 
to be an almost absolute prohibition to the Cubans. 
In fact, to take a seat in the higher house, it is 
necessary to have been president of that body or of 
Congress, or a minister of the crown, or a bishop, 
or a grandee of Spain, a lieutenant-general, a vice- 
admiral, ambassador, minister plenipotentiary, 
counsellor of State, judge or attorney-general of 
the Supreme Court, of the Court of Accounts, 
etc. No Cuban has ever filled any of the above 
positions, and scarcely two or three are grandees. 



CUBA. 95 

The only natives of Cuba who can be Senators 
are those who have been deputies in three differ- 
ent Congresses, or who are professors and have 
held for four years a university chair, provided 
that they have an income of $1500 ; or those who 
have a title of nobility, or have deputies, provin- 
cial deputies, or mayors in towns of over 20,000 
inhabitants, if they have in addition an income of 
$4000, or pay a direct contribution of $800 to the 
treasury. This will increase to one or two dozen 
the number of Cubans qualified to be Senators. 

In this manner has legislative work, as far as 
Cuba is concerned, turned out to be a farce. The 
various governments have legislated for the 
island as they pleased. The representatives of 
the peninsular provinces did not even take the 
trouble of attending the sessions of the Cortes 
when Cuban affairs were to be dealt with ; and 
there was an instance when the estimates (budget) 
for the Great Antilles were discussed in the pres- 
ence of less than thirty deputies, and a single one 
of the ministers, the minister of "Ultramar," 
(session of April 3, 1880). 

Discrimination Ag-ainst Cubans. 

Through the contrivance of the law, as well 
as through the irregularities committed and con- 
sented in its application, have the Cubans been 
deprived also of representation in the local cor- 
porations to which they were entitled, and in 



96 CUBA. 

many cases they have been entirely excluded from 
them. When, despite the legalized obstacles and 
the partiality of those in power, they have 
obtained some temporary majority, the Govern- 
ment has always endeavored and succeeded in 
making their triumph null and void. Only once 
did the home-rule party obtain a majority in the 
Provincial deputation of Havana, and then the 
Governor-General appointed from among the 
Spaniards a majority of the members of the Per- 
manent Commission. Until that time this 
Commission has been of the same political com- 
plexion as the majority of the Deputation. By 
such proceedings have the Cubans been gradually 
expelled, even from the municipal bodies. Suffice 
it to say that the law provides that the derramas 
(assessments) be excluded from the computation 
of the tributary quotas, notwithstanding that they 
constitute the heaviest burden upon the municipal 
taxpayer. And the majorities, consisting of 
Spaniards, take good care to make this burden 
fall with heavier weight upon the Cuban pro- 
prietor. Thus the latter has to bear a heavier 
taxation with less representation. 

This is the reason why the scandalous case 
has occurred lately of not a single Cuban having 
a seat in the "Ayuntamiento " (Board of Alder- 
men) of Havana. In 1891 the Spaniards pre- 
dominated in thirty-one out of thirty-six "Ayunta- 



CUBA. 97 

mientos " in the province of Havana. In that of 
Guines, with a population of 12,500 Cuban inhab- 
itants, not a single one of the latter was found 
among its councillors. In the same epoch there 
were only three Cubans deputies in the Provincial 
Deputation of Havana ; two in that of Matanzas, 
and three in that of Santa Clara. And these are 
the most populous regions in the island of Cuba. 
Carpet- Bag: grers to the Fore. 

As, on the other hand, the government of 
the Metropolis appoints the officials of the colony, 
all the lucrative, influential and representative of- 
ficers are secured to the Spaniards from Europe. 
The Governor-General, the regional and the pro- 
vincial governors, the "intendentes," comptrollers, 
auditors, treasurers, chiefs of communications, 
chiefs of the custom-houses, chiefs of administra- 
tion, presidents and vice-presidents of the Spanish 
bank, secretaries of the government, presiding 
judges of the "Audiencia," presidents of tribu- 
nal, magistrates, attorneys-general, archbishops, 
bishops, canons, pastors of rich parishes, all, with 
very rare exceptions, are Spaniards from Spain. 
The Cubans are found only as minor clerks in the 
government offices, doing all the work and re- 
ceiving the smallest salaries. 

From 1878 to this date there have been 
twenty governors in the province of Matanzas. 
Eighteen were Spaniards and two Cubans. But 



98 . CUBA. 

one of these, Brigadier-General Acosta, was an 
army officer in the service of Spain, who had 
fought against his countrymen ; and the other 
Senor Gonzales Munoz, is a bureaucrat. During 
the same period there has been only one native 
Cuban acting as governor in the province of 
Havana, Senor Rodriguez Batisa, who spent all 
his life in Spain, where he made his administrative 
career. In the other provinces there has never 
probably been a single governor born in the 
country. 

In 1887 there was created a council or board 
of Ultramar under the Minister of the Colonies. 
Not a single Cuban has ever been found among 
its members. On the other hand, such men as 
Generals Arminan and Pando have held positions 
in it. 

In the Lrocal Offices. 

The predominance of the government goes 
further still. It weighs with all its might upon 
the local corporations. There are deputations in 
the provinces, and not only are their powers re- 
stricted and their resources scanty, but the 
Governor-General appoints their presidents and 
all the members of the permanent commissions. 
There are " Ayuntamientos" elected in accord- 
ance with the reactionary law of 1877, restricted 
and curtailed as applied to Cuba by Senor Cano- 
vas. But the Governor-General appoints the 



CUBA. 99 

mayors, who may not belong to the corporation, 
and the governor of the province appoints the 
secretaries. The government reserves moreover 
the right to remove the mayors, of replacing 
them, and of suspending the councillors and the 
" Ayuntamientos," partly or in a body. It has 
frequently made use of this right, for electoral 
purposes, to the detriment always of the Cubans. 
As may be seen, the crafty policy of Spain 
has closed every avenue through which redress 
might be obtained. All the powers are centered 
in the government of Madrid and its delegates 
in the Colony ; and in order to give her despotism 
a slight varnish of a representative regime, she 
has contrived with her laws to secure complaisant 
majorities in the pseudo-elective bodies. To 
accomplish this purpose she has relied upon the 
European immigrants, who have always sup- 
ported the government of the Metropolis, in 
exchange for lasting privileges. The existence 
of a Spanish party, as that of an English party 
at one time in Canada, has been the foundation 
of Spanish rule in Cuba. Thus, through the 
instrumentality of the laws and the government 
a regime of castes has been enthroned there, 
with its outcome of monopolies, corruption, im- 
morality and hatred. The political contest there, 
far from being the fruitful clash of opposite ideas, 
or the opposition of men representing different 



IOO CUBA. 

tendencies, but all seeking a social improvement, 
has been only a struggle between hostile factions, 
the conflict between infuriated foes, which pre- 
cedes an open war. The Spanish resident has 
always seen a threat in the most timid protest of 
the Cuban — an attack upon the privileged posi- 
tion on which his fortune, his influence and his 
power are grounded ; and he is always willing to 
stifle it with insult and persecution. 
Squeezing: the Orange. 

What use the Spanish Government has made 
of this power is apparent in the three-fold spolia- 
tion to which it has submitted the island of Cuba. 
Spain has not, in fact, a colonial policy. In the dis- 
tant lands she has subdued by force, Spain has 
sought nothing but immediate riches, and these it 
has wrung by might from the compulsory labor 
of the natives. For this reason Spain to-day in 
Cuba is only a parasite. Spain exploits the island 
of Cuba through- its fiscal regime, through its 
commercial regime and through its bureatic 
regime. These are the three forms of official 
spoliation ; but they are not the only forms of 
spoliation. 

When the war of 1878 came to an end, two- 
thirds of the island were completely ruined. The 
other third, the population of which had remained 
peaceful, was abundantly productive ; but it had 
to face the great economical change involved in 



CUBA. IOI 

the impending abolition of slavery. Slavery had 
received its death-blow at the hands of the insur- 
rection, and Cuban insurrectionists succeeded at 
the close of the war in securing its eventful aboli- 
tion. Evidently it would have been a provident 
policy to lighten the fiscal burdens of a country in 
such a condition. Spain was only bent on making 
Cuba pay the cost of the way. The Metropolis 
overwhelmed the colony with enormous budgets, 
reaching as high a figure as $46,000,000, and this 
only to cover the obligations of the State ; or, 
rather, to fill up the unfathomable gulf left by the 
wastefulness and plunder of the civil and military 
administration during the years of war, and to 
meet the expenses of the military occupation of 
the country. Here follow a few figures : The 
budget for the fiscal year of 1 878 to 1 879 amounted 
to $46,594,000; that of 1879 to 1880 to an equal 
sum; that of 1882 to 1883, to $35,860,000 ; that of 
1883 to 1884, to 34,180,000; that of 1884 to 1885 
to the same sum ; that of 1885 to 1886, to $34,- 
169,000. For the remaining years, to the present 
time, the amount of the budget has been about 
$26,000,000, this being the figure for 1893 to 
1894, and to be the same by prorogation for the 
current fiscal year. 

The gradual reduction that may be noted was 
not the result of a desire to reduce the over- 
whelming burdens that weigh upon the country ; 



102 CUBA. 

it was imposed by necessity. Cuba was not able 
by far to meet such a monstrous exaction. It was 
a continuous and threatening deficit that imposed 
these reductions. In the first of the above-named 
years the revenue was $8,000,000 short of the 
budget or appropriations. In the second year the 
deficit reached the sum of $20,000,000. In 1883 
it was nearly $ 1 0,000,000. In the following years, 
the deficits averaged nearly $4,500,000. At pres- 
ent the accumulated amount of all these deficits 
reaches the sum of $100,000,000. 

The Awful Burden of Debt. 

As a consequence of such a reckless and 
senseless financial course, the debt of Cuba has 
been increased to a fabulous sum. In 1868 it 
owed $25,000,000. When the present war broke 
out the debt, it was calculated, reached the net 
sum of $190,000,000. On the 31st of July, 1895, 
the Island of Cuba was reckoned to owe $295,- 
707,264 in bulk. Considering its population, the 
debt of Cuba exceeds that of all the other Ameri- 
can countries, including the United States. The 
interest on this debt imposes a burden of $9.79 
on each inhabitant. The French people, the most 
overburdened in this respect, owe only $6.30 per 
inhabitant. 

This enormous debt, contracted and saddled 
upon the country without its knowledge; this 
heavy load that grinds it and does not permit its 



CUBA. IO 



people to capitalize their income, to foster its 
improvements, or even to entertain its industries, 
constitutes one of the most iniquitous forms of 
spoliation the island has to bear. In it are in- 
cluded a debt of Spain to the United States ; the 
expenses incurred by Spain when she occupied 
San Domingo ; those for the invasion of Mexico 
in alliance with France and England ; the expen- 
ditures for her hostilities against Peru ; the money- 
advanced to the Spanish Treasury during its 
recent Carlist wars ; and all that Spain has spent 
to uphold its domination in Cuba and to cover 
the lavish expenditures of its administration since 
1868. Not a cent of this enormous sum has 
been spent in Cuba to advance the work of im- 
provement and civilization. It has not contributed 
to build a single kilometre of highway or of rail- 
road, nor to erect a single light-house, or deepen 
a single port ; it has not built one asylum or 
opened one public school. Such a heavy burden 
has been left to the future generations, without a 
single compensation or benefit. 

Treatment of Native Industry. 
Let us see now what Spain has done to per- 
mit at least the development of natural wealth 
and the industry of a country impoverished by 
this fiscal regime, the work of cupidity, incompe- 
tency and immorality. Let us see whether that 
nation has left at least some vitality to Cuba, in 



104 CUBA. 

order to continue exploiting it with some profit. 
This economical organization of Cuba is of the 
simplest kind. It produces to export, and imports 
almost everything it consumes. In view of this it 
is evident that all that Cuba required from the 
State was that it should not hamper its work with 
excessive burdens, nor hinder its commercial rela- 
tions ; so that it could buy cheap where it suited 
her and sell her products with profit. Spain 
has done all the contrary. She has treated to- 
bacco as an enemy. She has loaded sugar with 
excessive imposts ; she has shackled with excess- 
ive and abusive excise duties the cattle-raising 
industry ; and, with her legislative doings and un- 
doings, she has thrown obstacles in the way of 
the mining industry. And to cap the climax, she 
has tightly bound Cuba in the network of a mon- 
strous tariff and a commercial legislation which 
subjects the colony, at the end of the nineteenth 
century, to the ruinous monopoly of the producers 
and merchants of certain regions of Spain, as in 
the halcyon days of the colonial compact. 

The district which produces the best tobacco 
in the world, the famous Vuelta Abajo, lacks 
every means of transportation afforded by civili- 
zation, to foster and increase the value of its pro- 
ducts. No roads, no bridges, or even ports are 
found there. The State in Cuba collects the 
taxes, but does not invest them for the benefit of 



CUBA. IO5 

any industry. On the other hand, those foreign 
countries, desirous of acquiring the rich tobacco- 
raising industry, have closed their markets to this 
privileged product, by imposing upon it excessive 
import duties while the Spanish government bur- 
dens its exportation from Cuban ports with a duty 
of $1.80 on every thousand cigars. Is this not a 
stroke of actual insanity ? 

Bad Commercial Laws. 
Everybody is aware of the tremendous crisis 
through which the sugar industry has been pass- 
ing for some years, owing to the rapid develop- 
ment of the production of this article everywhere. 
Every government has hastened to protect its 
own by more or less empirical measures. This 
is not the place to judge them. What is impor- 
tant is to recall the fact that they have endeavored 
to place the threatened industry in the best con- 
dition to withstand the competition. What has 
Spain done in order, if not to maintain the strong 
position held before by Cuba, at least to enable the 
Colony to carry on the competition with its every 
day more formidable rivals ? Spain pays bounties 
to the sugar produced within its own territory, 
and closes its markets to the Cuban sugar, by im- 
posing upon it an import duty of $6.20 per hun- 
dred kilograms. It has been calculated that a 
hundredweight of Cuban sugar is overburdened 
when reaching the Barcelona market with 143 per 



1 06 CUBA. 

cent, of its value. The Spanish government op- 
presses the Cuba producer with every kind of ex- 
actions ; taxes the introduction of the machinery 
that is indispensable for the production of sugar, 
obstructs its transportation by imposing heavy 
taxes on the railroads, and winds up the work by 
exacting another contribution called industrial 
duty, and still another for loading or shipping, 
which is equivalent to an export duty. 

Cuba Ruined for the Sake of Spain. 

Still, if Spain was a flourishing industrial 
country and produced the principal articles re- 
quired by Cuba for the consumption of its people, 
or for developing and fostering its industries, the 
evil, though always great, would be a lesser one. 
But everybody knows the backwardness of the 
Spanish industries, and the inability of Spain to 
supply Cuba with the products she requires for 
her consumption and industries. The Cubans 
have to consume or use foreign goods. The 
Spanish merchants have found, moreover, a new 
source of fraud in the application of these anti- 
quated and iniquitous laws ; it consists in nation- 
alizing foreign products for importation into 
Cuba. 

As the mainspring of this senseless com- 
mercial policy is to support the monopoly of 
Spanish commerce, when Spain has been com- 
pelled to deviate from it to a certain extent by an 



CUBA. I07 

international treaty, it has done so reluctantly and 
in the anxious expectation of an opportunity to 
nullify its own promises. This explains the acci- 
dental history of the Reciprocity Treaty with the 
United States, which was received with joy by 
Cuba, obstructed by the Spanish administration 
and prematurely abolished by the Spanish Govern- 
ment as soon as it saw an opportunity. 

The injury done to Cuba, and the evil effects 
produced by this commercial legislation are be- 
yond calculation ; its effects have been material 
losses, which have engendered profound discon- 
tent. The " Circulo de Hacendados y Agricul- 
tores," the wealthiest corporation of the island, 
in 1894 passed judgment on these commercial 
laws in the following severe terms : 

"It would be impossible to explain, should 
the attempt be made, what is the signification of 
the present commercial laws, as regards any eco- 
nomical or political plan or system ; because, 
economically, they aim at the destruction of public 
wealth, and politically they are the cause of inex- 
tinguishable discontent, and contain the germs of 
grave dissensions!' 

Salaried Carpet-Baggers. 

But Spain has not taken heed of this ; her 
only care has been to keep the producers and 
merchants of such rebellious provinces as Cata- 
lonia contented. 



I08 CUBA. 

Industries Driven to Bankruptcy. 

Despite the prodigious efforts made by pri- 
vate individuals to extend the cultivation of the 
sugar cane and to raise the sugar-making industry 
to the plane it has reached, both the colonists and 
the proprietors of the sugar plantations and the 
sugar mills (centrales) are on the brink of bank- 
ruptcy and ruin. In selling the output they knew 
that they would not get sufficient means to cover 
the cost of keeping and repairing their colonies 
and sugar mills. There is not a single agricultu- 
ral bank in Cuba. The " hacendado " (planter, 
land-owner) had to recur to usurious loans and to 
pay eighteen and twenty per cent, for the sums 
which they borrowed. Not long ago there existed 
in Havana the Spanish Bank, the Bank of Com- 
merce, the Industrial Bank, the Bank of St. Joseph, 
the Bank of the Alliance, the Bank of Maritime 
Insurances and the Savings Bank. Of these there 
remain to-day only the Spanish Bank, which has 
been converted into a vast State office, and the 
Bank of Commerce, which owes its existence to 
the railways and warehouses it possesses. None 
of these gives any aid to the sugar industry. 

The cigar-making industry, which was in 
such flourishing condition a short time ago, has 
fallen so low that fears are entertained that it 
may emigrate entirely from Cuba. The weekly 
" El Tobacco " came to the conclusion that the 




Avenue of Royal Palms, Havana 



CUBA. I I I 

exportation of cigars from Cuba would cease 
entirely within six years. From 1889 to J ^94 tne 
exportation from the port of Havana had de- 
creased by 116,200,000 cigars. 

City real estate has fallen to one-half and in 
some cases to one-third the value it had before 
1884. A building in Havana which was erected 
at a cost of $600,000 was sold for $120,000. 

Stocks and bonds tell the same story. 
Almost all of them are quoted in Havana with 
heavy discounts. 

At the outbreak of the present war, Spain 
found that, although the appropriations since 1878 
amounted to nearly $500,000,000, not a single 
military road had been built, no fortifications, no 
hospitals, and there was no material of war. The 
State has not provided even for its own defence. 
In view of this fact nobody will be surprised to 
hear that a country 670 kilometres long, with an 
area of 118,833 square kilometres, has only 
246^ lineal kilometres of high-roads, and these 
almost exclusively in the Province of Havana. In 
that of Santiago de Cuba there are 9 kilometres ; 
in Puerto Principe and Las Villas not a single one. 
Cuba has 3,506 kilometres of sea-shore and fifty 
four ports ; only fifteen of those are open to com- 
merce. In the labyrinth of keys, sand-banks and 
breakers adjacent to our coasts there are only 
nineteen lighthouses of all classes. Many of our 
7 



1 1 2 CUBA. 

ports, some of the best among them, are filling 
up. The coasting steamers can hardly pass the 
bars at the entrance of the ports of Nuevitas, 
Gibara, Baracoa and Santiago de Cuba. Private 
parties have sometimes been willing to remedy 
these evils ; but then the central administration 
has interfered, and after years of red tape, things 
have remained worse than before. In the course 
of twenty-eight years only 139 kilometres of 
high-roads were built in Cuba ; two first-class 
light-houses were erected, three second-class, one 
of the fourth-class, three beacon lights and two 
port lights ; 246 metres of wharf were built, and 
a few ports were superficially cleaned and their 
shoals marked. This was all. On the other 
hand the department of public works consumes 
unlimited millions in enormous salaries and in 
repairs. 

The neglect of public hygiene in Cuba is pro- 
verbial. The technical commission sent by the 
United States to Havana to study the yellow 
fever, declared that the port of the capital of 
Cuba, owing to its inconceivable filth, is a perma- 
nent source of infection, against which it is neces- 
sary to take precautions. There is in Havana, 
however, a "Junta de Puerto" (board of port- 
wardens) which collects dues and spends them 
with the same munificence as the other bureau- 
cratic centres. 



CUBA. 113 

No Public Instruction. 

Does the government favor Cuba more in 
the matter of education ? It will suffice to state 
that only $128,000 are assigned to public instruc- 
tion in the budget. And it may be proved that 
the University of Havana is a source of pecuniary 
profit to the State. On the other hand, this in- 
stitution is without laboratories, instruments and 
even without water to carry on experiments. All 
the countries of America, excepting Bolivia, all of 
them, including Hayti, Jamaica, Trinidad, and 
Guadalupe, where the colored race predominates, 
spend a great deal more than the Cuban govern- 
ment for the education of the people. 
Early Discontent. 

In the early part of the present century Cuba 
began to grow restless under the rule of Spain. 
Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America, 
aimed to include Cuba, also, in his work, and 
make it independent. The project met with 
little encouragement, however, and Cubans say 
that its failure was due to the opposition, open or 
secret, of the United States Government at that 
time. That Government made it plain to Bolivar 
that it would not be pleased if he extended his 
operations north of Panama. 

The fire of insurrection broke out fiercely 
about twenty years afterward, and from 1848 to 



1 1 4 CUBA. 

1854 numerous small insurrections occurred. 
These were mostly organized by the slaves, and 
were more attempts to obtain freedom for the 
slaves than to obtain independence for the island. 
A few of these rebellions showed plans of a 
widespread conspiracy, however, and these were 
countenanced, if not assisted, by the Southern 
States of this country. There was for some 
time among Southern statesmen, a definite pro- 
ject looking to the annexation of Cuba to the 
Union, and its division into four States. These 
would, of course, have been slave States and thus 
would have added greatly to the power of the 
slave party in Congress. Their eight senators 
and at least sixteen representatives would have 
given the balance of power to the South for a 
long time. 

The first serious uprising was that of the 
" Black Eagle" bands in 1829, which was really 
incited by the example of Bolivar and the South- 
American republics. It was readily suppressed 
by the Spanish Government with great severity 
and cruelty. A considerable insurrection of the 
slaves occurred in 1844 and the province of 
Matanzas was placed for a time under purely 
military rule. Under the ordinary method of 
examination no incriminating evidence was ob- 
tainable against the prisoners taken. The Court, 
therefore, went back to the horrible practices of 



CUBA. I I 5 

the Inquisition, and tortured the prisoners in a 
manner worthy of the days of Torquemada. As 
a result, many wretched prisoners testified falsely 
and accused innocent persons, in vain hope of 
thus securing their own release from torment. 
This hope was soon dispelled. The ruthless 
judges generally put their witnesses to death after 
torturing them. In all, nearly two thousand 
persons were sentenced to death, to banishment, 
and to imprisonment at hard labor for various 
terms, against not one of whom was there any 
real evidence. 

Lopez and His Raids. 

A formidable attack upon Spanish rule was 
that led by Narcisso Lopez in 1848. He organ- 
ized a band of 600 men in the United States, and, 
evading the neutrality laws, made a landing upon 
the Cuban coast, where he was joined by a con- 
siderable number of Cubans, both white and col- 
ored. He was soon driven out of the island by 
the Spaniards, but returned a second time, and 
again a third time in 1851. The last landing 
proved fatal to him. He was captured by the 
Spaniards and put to death, with a number of his 
followers. Another American, Crittenden, who was 
in league with him, remained on the coast, and, 
hearing of the capture of Lopez, attempted to 
escape by taking to the sea in a boat. He* 
too, was captured, with fifty of his men, and 



Il6 CUBA. 

they were all put to death in Havana in a most 
brutal manner. 

The Killing- of Pinto. 

Thereafter the island was quiet for a few 
years, but, in 1854, Pinto, a Spaniard of revolu- 
tionist tendencies, again raised the standard of 
revolt. He was soon captured and put to death. 

After Pinto came Estrampes and Aguero, 
who aimed both at freeing the slaves and throw- 
ing off the Spanish yoke. They were both cap- 
tured after a brief struggle and put to death. 
After them, there were no more serious uprisings 
until the great war in 1868. 



CHAPTER V. 



OUTBREAK OF THE TEN YEARS' WAR IN 1 8 68 

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE THE 

SPANISH REPLY WAR IN EARNEST PROCLA- 
MATION OF FREEDOM REGULAR GOVERNMENT 

FORMED VALMASEDA'S BLOODY ORDERS — 

AMERICAN SYMPATHY EXPRESSED- — A SPECIAL 
MESSAGE. 




HAT APPEARED to be at last the 
dawn of deliverance for Cuba came 
in 1868. On October ioth of that 
year the illustrious patriot Cespedes raised the 
five-barred and single-starred flag of Cuba at 
Yara in the District of Bayamo and, with his 
associates, made public a declaration of inde- 
pendence. The advance party in Cuba at once 
cast in their lot with him, and the insurrection 
quickly assumed formidable dimensions in the 
Eastern portion of the island. Cespedes was a 
native Cuban of distinguished ancestry and high 
culture. He was a lawyer by profession, but 
owned a considerable estate. He began his 
work for Cuba by giving his two hundred slaves 
their liberty, whereupon to a man they enlisted 
under the banner of the Cuban Republic and 

(117) 



I I 8 CUBA. 

followed him faithfully through many battles. 
The chief leader of the Cuban armies at that time 
and during the years that followed was Maximo 
Gomez, who is now Commander-in-Chief of the 
Revolutionary army. 

The Declaration of Independence. 

The patriots who thus took up arms for 
Cuba were proud to call themselves laboring men. 
They were, in fact, known as the " Junta of the 
Laborers." The following is the proclamation 
which they made to the public : 

"The laborers, animated by the love for 
their native land, aspire to the hope of seeing 
Cuba happy and prosperous by virtue of its own 
power, and demand the inviolability of individuals, 
their homes, their families, and the fruits of their 
labor, which it will have guaranteed by the liberty 
of conscience, of speech, of the press, by peace- 
ful meetings ; in fact, they demand a Government 
of the country for and by the country, free from 
an army of parasites and soldiers that only serve 
to consume it and oppress it. And, as nothing 
of that kind can be obtained from Spain, they 
intend to fight it with all available means, and 
drive and uproot its dominion on the face of Cuba. 
Respecting above all and before all the dignity 
of man, the association declares that it will not 
accept slavery as a forced inheritance of the past; 
however, instead of abolishing it as an arm by 



CUBA. 119 

which to sink the island into barbarity, as threat- 
ened by the Government of Spain, they view 
abolition as a means of improving the moral and 
material condition of the workingman, and thereby 
to place property and wealth in a more just and 
safe position. 

" Sons of their times, baptized in the vivid 
stream of civilization and therefore above pre- 
occupation of nationality, the laborers will respect 
the neutrality of Spaniards, but among Cubans 
will distinguish only friends and foes, those that 
are with them or against them. To the former 
they offer peace, fraternity and concord ; to the 
latter, hostility and war — war and hostility that 
will be more implacable to the traitors in Cuba 
where they first saw the day, who turn their arms 
against them, or offer any asylum or refuge to 
their tyrants. We, the laborers, ignore the 
value of nationality, but at the present moment 
consider it of secondary moment. Before nation- 
ality stands liberty, the indisputable condition of 
existence. We must be a people before becom- 
ing a nation. When the Cubans constitute a free 
people they will receive the nationality that be- 
comes them. Now they have none." 

The Declaration of Independence was made 
on October 10th. Eight days later the town of 
Bayamo was captured by the insurgents, and ten 
days after that the whole district of Holguin rose 



1 20 CUBA. 

in arms. Early in November the insurgents 
defeated a Spanish force which had been sent 
against them from Santiago, and soon after this 
most of the Spanish American Republics of South 
America recognized the Cubans as belligerents. 
The Marquis of Santa Lucia, the present Pres- 
ident of the provisional government, quickly 
identified himself with the patriot cause and 
brought it many recruits. In December, General 
Quesada landed in Cuba with an expedition from 
Nassau, bringing a considerable consignment of 
arms and ammunition. So rapidly did the cause 
prosper that by April 10th, 1869, it was possible 
to organize a regular government with an elected 
House of Assembly. Cespedes was President of 
the government, and General Quesada was made 
Commander-in-Chief of the army. 

The Spanish Reply. 

The Spanish Captain-General at Havana real- 
ized the seriousness of the situation, and strove to 
stem the tide of patriotic enthusiasm by issuing a 
proclamation to the people of Cuba, promising all 
sorts of things if they would only remain loyal to 
Spain. He said : 

"I will brave every danger, accept every 
responsibility for your welfare. The Revolution 
has swept away the Bourbon dynasty, tearing up 
the roots, a plant so poisonous that it putrefied 
the air we breathed. To the citizen shall be 



CUBA. I 2 I 

returned his rights, to man his dignity. You 
will receive all the reforms which you require. 
Cubans and Spaniards are all brothers. From 
this day Cuba will be considered as a province of 
Spain. Freedom of the press, the right of meet- 
ing in public, and representation in the national 
Cortes, the three fundamental principles of true 
liberty, are granted you. 

" Cubans and Spaniards ! Speaking in the 
name of our mother, Spain, I adjure you to forget 
the past, hope for the future, and establish union 
and fraternity." 

This proclamation had no effect whatever 
upon the Cubans except to excite their contempt 
and derision for its bombastic hypocrisy, and to 
make them all the more resolved to set their 
country free from the Spanish yoke. 
War in Earnest. 

Seeing that the patriots were resolute, the 
Captain-General called for troops from Spain and 
they were quickly sent in large numbers. The 
freedom of the press throughout the island was 
summarily abolished and martial law was pro- 
claimed everywhere. The citizens of Havana 
were ordered to contribute the sum of $25,000,- 
000 for the use of the Government. 

By February, 1869, heavy fighting began. 
The first important victory for the patriots oc- 
curred at San Cristoval, twenty-two leagues 



122 CUBA. 

west from Havana. Another battle took 
place at Quanajay, eleven leagues from 
Havana on the north coast. Nothing but the 
timely arrival of reinforcements from Count Val- 
maseda prevented the patriots from capturing 
Santiago. Havana was soon practically in a 
state of siege. The telegraph was destroyed and 
the mails stopped at Trinidad. The Spanish 
troops on February 7th, burned the town of San 
Miguel. The Insurgents adopted the method of 
warfare which they are now again pursuing, 
namely, to keep moving from one point to 
another, baffling pursuit and tiring out their 
enemies. To make the progress of the Spanish 
armies more difficult they also destroyed bridges 
and railroads in many places. 

Tens of thousands of troops were hurried to 
the island from Spain and the Commander every- 
where gave orders that the war should be pur- 
sued in the most ruthless manner, no quarter 
being given and no prisoners taken. Yet the 
Spanish army was able to do no more than to 
hold its own. They defended the cities and large 
towns and fortified camps, but the vast bulk of 
the country had to be surrendered to the Insur- 
gents. Early in March a considerable battle was 
fought near Puerto Principe in which the loss of 
the Insurgents was nearly 1,000 killed and 
wounded. At this time the entire strength of 



CUBA. J 23 

the Insurgent forces under Gen. Quesada was 
not more than 7,000. The Spanish army was 
three or four times as large. But by clever 
strategy the Patriots were able not only to main- 
tain their position, but actually to take the field 
aggressively against their foes. 

Proclamation of Freedom. 

The patriot government in March, 1869, 
formally decreed the absolute abolition of slavery. 
It was arranged that the patriots should be in- 
demnified for the loss of their slaves, while the 
freedmen might become soldiers or farmers, 
according to their pleasure. 

An address was sent on March 1st by Ces- 
pedes to the President of the United States, 
explaining the purpose of the insurrection and 
the causes that led to it and setting forth the 
reasons why the United States should accord to 
the Cubans belligerent rights and recognition of 
their independence. This was an eloquent and 
impressive document, which strongly appealed to 
the sympathies of President Grant and of the whole 
American people. At the same time the magni- 
tude of the Revolution and the stability of the 
new Government did not yet appear such as 
would warrant the recognition asked for. 
Regular Government Forms, 

About a month later representatives from 
all parts of Cuba met and formed a national 



124 CUBA. 

Congress at Guaimaro, a small town in the 
central part of the island. Gen. Cespedes re- 
signed to it his provisional authority as Chief of 
the Government, but was immediately and unan- 
imously elected Constitutional President of the 
Republic. Thereupon he issued the following 
inaugural address to the people of Cuba : 

" Compatriots : The establishment of a free 
Government in Cuba, on the basis of Democratic 
principles, was the most fervent wish of my 
heart. The effective realization of this wish 
was, therefore, enough to satisfy my aspirations 
and amply repay the services which, jointly with 
you, I may have been able to devote to the cause 
of Cuban independence. But the will of my 
compatriots has gone far beyond this, by invest- 
ing me with the most honored of all duties, the 
supreme magistracy of the Republic. 

" I am not blind to the great labors required 
in the exercise of the high functions which you 
have placed in my charge in these critical 
moments, notwithstanding the aid that may be 
derived from the other powers of the State. I 
am not ignorant of the grave responsibility which 
I assume in accepting the Presidency of our new- 
born Republic. I know that my weak powers 
would be far from being equal to the demand if 
left to themselves alone. But this will not occur, 
and that conviction fills me with faith in the future. 



CUBA. 125 

"In the act of beginning the struggle with 
the oppressors, Cuba has assumed the solemn 
duty to consummate her independence or perish 
in the attempt ; and in giving herself a Demo- 
cratic Government she obligates herself to become 
a Republic. This double obligation, contracted 
in the presence of free America, before the lib- 
eral world, and, what is more, before our own 
conscience, signifies our determination to be 
heroic and to be virtuous. On your heroism I 
rely for the consummation of our independence, 
and on your virtue I count to consolidate the 
Republic;' 

Two days afterward there appeared a pro- 
clamation issued to the army by Gen. Quesada, 
the Commander-in-Chief. It urged the Cubans 
to wage brave and vigorous warfare against their 
oppressors and reminded them of the ferocious 
character of the Spanish leaders. He said : 

"I implore you, sons of Cuba, to recollect 
at all hours the proclamation of Valmaseda. That 
document will shorten the time necessary for the 
triumph of our cause. That document is an ad- 
ditional proof of the character of our enemies. 
Those beings appear deprived even of those gifts 
which Nature has conceded to the irrational — the 
instinct of foresight and of warning. We have to 
struggle with tyrants, always such — the very same 
ones of the Inquisition, of the conquest, and of 



126 CUBA. 

Spanish domination in America. We have to 
combat with the assassins of women and children, 
with the mutilators of the dead, with the idola- 
ters of gold. If you would save your honor and 
that of your families, if you would conquer for- 
ever your liberty — be soldiers." 

Valmaseda's Bloody Orders. 

The proclamation of Valmaseda, referred to 
by General Quesada, was indeed a most infamous 
document. It was issued by him on April 4th, 
1869, and reads as follows : 

" Inhabitants of the country ! The reinforce- 
ments of troops that I have been waiting for 
have arrived ; with them I shall give protection 
to the good, and punish promptly those that still 
remain in rebellion against the government of the 
metropolis. 

" You know that I have pardoned those who 
have fought us with arms ; that your wives, 
mothers, and sisters have found in me the unex- 
pected protection that you have refused them. 
You know, also, that many of those we have par- 
doned have turned against us again. 

" Before such ingratitude, such villany, it is 
not possible for me to be the man that I have been ; 
there is no longer a place for a falsified neutrality ; 
he that is not for me is against me ; and that my 
soldiers may know how to distinguish, you hear 
the order they carry : 



£\1 Uf/*^-/,.* 







CUBA. I2 g 

" ist. Every man, from the age of fifteen 
years upward, found away from his habitation 
(finca), and who does not prove a justified motive 
therefor, will be shot. 

" 2d. Every habitation unoccupied will be 
burned by the troops. 

" 3d. Every habitation from which does not 
float a white flag, as a signal that its occupants 
desire peace, will be reduced to ashes. 

"Women that are not living at their own 
homes, or at the houses of their relatives, will 
collect in the town of Jiguani, or Bayamo, where 
maintenance will be provided. Those who do 
not present themselves will be conducted forcibly. 

" The foregoing determinations will com- 
mence to take effect on the 14th of the present 
month." 

In what manner this order was executed, we 
shall presently see. 

American Sympathy Expressed* 

Numerous expeditions of men and cargoes 
of arms and ammunition were soon conveyed to 
Cuba from the United States, and many American 
citizens did admirable work in the patriot army. 
A number of severe battles were fought during 
1869, in which the patriots generally were vic- 
torious. In October there was an epidemic of 
cholera which, in a few days, carried ofT thousands 
of the Spanish troops, while the Cubans, who 
8 



I30 CUBA. 

were not attacked by the disease at all, spent 
their time in drilling and preparing for further 
operations. The burning of sugar plantations 
became general. More than 160 large plantations 
belonging to Cubans were confiscated by the 
Spaniards, who hoped to get much money out of 
the crops. To prevent this, the insurgents raided 
these plantations and destroyed the cane by fire. 

In November the Cuban Junta in the United 
States was reorganized at New York, and began 
doing excellent service for the patriot cause. 
The sympathy of the American people with the 
Cubans was very strong and well-nigh universal. 
It was openly expressed by President Grant in 
his message to Congress in December. He took, 
however, the ground that "the contest had at no 
time assumed the conditions which amount to a 
war in the sense of international war, or which 
would show the existence of a political organiza- 
tion of the Insurgents sufficient to justify a recog- 
nition of belligerency. 

A Special Message, 

Six months later, in June, 1870, President 
Grant deemed the matter of such importance as 
to require discussion in a special message to Con- 
gress in which he said : "During the six months 
which have passed the condition of the insurgents 
has not improved, and the insurrection itself, 
although not subdued, exhibits no signs of advance, 



CUBA. 131 

but seems to be confined to an irregular system 
of hostilities, carried on by small and illy-armed 
bands of men, roaming without concentration 
through the woods and the sparsely populated 
regions of the island, attacking from ambush 
convoys and small bands of troops, burning plan- 
tations and the estates of those not sympathizing 
with their cause. 

" But, if the insurrection has not gained 
ground, it is equally true that Spain has not sup- 
pressed it. Climate, disease, and the occasional 
bullet have worked destruction among the sol- 
diers of Spain ; and, although the Spanish author- 
ities have possession of every seaport and every 
town on the island, they have not been able to 
subdue the hostile feeling which has driven a con- 
siderable number of the native inhabitants of the 
island to armed resistance against Spain, and still 
leads them to endure the dangers and privations 
of the roaming life of a guerrilla." 




CHAPTER VI. 



SAVAGE METHODS OF SPANISH SOLDIERS — SPANISH 

TESTIMONY MEAGRE NEWS IN HAVANA A 

REIGN OF CRUELTY CHARACTER OF THE WAR 

SAFETY OF HAVANA THE SPANISH MISTAKE 

STRENGTH OF THE PATRIOTS EFFECTS OF THE 

WAR UPON THE ISLAND RUINED TOWNS LITTLE 

FIGHTING MUCH DESTRUCTION TACTICS OF 

THE TWO ARMIES THE SPANIARDS HALF- 
HEARTED SLAUGHTER IN THE FIVE TOWNS 

OUTRAGES UPON WOMEN ATROCITIES OF CAMP 

FOLLOWERS. 



(f l 



HE LETTER and spirit of Valmaseda's 
proclamation, which we quoted in the 
preceding chapter, were more than ful- 
filled. There is in all history no chapter more 
horrible than that which records the doings of that 
inhuman monster and his subordinates in Cuba 
during the Ten Years' War. Neither sex nor age 
was respected. The honor and lives of the popu- 
lation were at the mercy of the Spanish soldiery, 
and that soldiery included thousands of the vilest 
criminals that could be recruited from the prisons 
of the Old Country. One brigade of the Spanish 
army consisted exclusively of negroes of the most 
brutal character, and became famous, or rather 

(*3 2 ) 



CUBA. I33 

infamous, as the "Black Brigade," this name 
being given to it not merely on account of the 
color of the men's faces, but still more because of 
the horrible nature of their deeds. 

Humanity and common decency forbid any- 
thing like a detailed account of the crimes com- 
mitted by Valmaseda and his chief assistant, 
Weyler, the present leader of the Spanish forces 
in Cuba. 

Spanish Testimony. 

Let us take the testimony of the Spanish 
officers themselves, as given in their letters. 
One of them, Jesus Rivocoba, wrote on Septem- 
ber 4, 1869 : 

" We captured seventeen, thirteen of whom 
were shot outright : on dying they shouted, 
'Hurrah for free Cuba! hurrah for independence !' 
A mulatto said, 'Hurrah for Cespedes !' On the 
following day we killed a Cuban officer and 
another man. Among the thirteen that we shot 
the first day were found three sons and their 
father ; the father witnessed the execution of his 
sons without even changing color, and when his 
turn came he said he died for the independence 
of his country. On coming back we brought 
along with us three carts filled with women and 
children, the families of those we had shot ; and 
they asked us to shoot them, because they would 
rather die than live among Spaniards." 



x 34 CUBA. 

Pedro Fardon, another officer, writes on 
September 22, 1869: 

" Not a single Cuban will remain in this 
island, because we shoot all those we find in the 
fields, on the farms, and in every hovel." 

And again, on the same day, the same 
officer sends the following to his father : 

" We do not leave a creature alive where we 
pass, be it man or animal." 

Meagre News in Havana. 

A shrewd and judicious observer of the war 
in 1873, sa Y s : 

" We are indebted to the Diario de la Marina 
for reminding us that we are in a state of insur- 
rection. There is a civil war raging somewhere 
in Cuba. This is the depth of winter, a fact which, 
with the weather glass at 83 in the shade, we are 
rather apt to forget ; it is the only season in the 
year propitious to military operations. The troops 
are in full march, and official bulletins reporting 
th^ir progress are forwarded from headquarters 
and find their way into the daily papers. Such a 
commanding officer with certain battalions has 
come up with an insurgent band far away in 
some spot above Guantanamo in the district of 
Santiago de Cuba, in the southeastern extremity 
of the island. To attack the rebels and com- 
pletely to rout them was for the heroic Spanish 
troops one and the same thing. They killed many 



CUBA. I35 

of them, wounded many more and took fourteen 
horses and one rifle." In another report we hear 
there were "three rebels killed, seven prisoners, 
one of these latter wounded ; three muskets were 
taken, and fifteen small arms ; two able-bodied 
men surrendered." In another encounter the 
trophies were " six prisoners and a mule." And 
again, two prisoners and three fire-arms, with the 
surrender of forty between women and children 
j>ersonas de familia. These monotonous and some- 
what meagre accounts constitute the annals of 
the war. The bulletins are almost stereotyped, 
one seemingly a transcript of the other. By the 
people here they are read with a sneer and a 
shrug of the shoulders. Not that the reports need 
be altogether disbelieved, or that more credit 
should be given to the counter-statements circu- 
lating in whispers among the disaffected, by 
which the alleged encounters are celebrated as 
rebel victories. To hear these, the rebels' horses 
cannot have been taken in open fight, as the in- 
surgents have no horses, but from the inoffensive 
and defenceless peasantry upon whom the troops 
wreak the vengeance of their defeats. As to the 
killed and wounded, the prisoners, the women 
and children who surrendered, they are the ill- 
fated owners of the horses, who are treated as 
rebels if they venture to raise any complaint 
about the loss of their property. It little matters 



136 CUBA. 

to which of the conflicting versions we listen, for 
in point of "imaginative" powers there is not a 
doit to choose between Creoles and Peninsulars. 
The phenomenon is that such skirmishing should 
go on from day to day for four years without 
more decisive results, and that, while both parties 
are at the trouble of inventing, they should task 
our credulity to no greater lengths. 
A Reign of Cruelty. 
" All allowance being made for gross exag- 
geration on both sides, there can be little doubt 
about the ruthless character of these Cuban 
hostilities. So long as I only read printed reports 
I might be loth to believe that "women and 
children have been murdered after nameless out- 
rages ; whole families hacked to pieces, prisoners 
invariably killed after horrible tortures — roasted 
alive, or their bodies mutilaced with grotesque 
indecency ;" but a closer approach to the scene 
of action has made me somewhat less skeptic, 
and at all events there can be no doubt that there 
is a vast deal of shooting in cold blood, as is freely 
admitted, not without much boasting, on either 
side. And property fares no better than human 
life in belligerents' hands. I know from the very 
best authority that in the district of Trinidad de 
Cuba, one of the oldest settlements in the central 
department of the island, about two-thirds of the 
sugar and coffee estates, and of the potreros } or 



CUBA. I37 

grazing farms, were either destroyed or aband- 
oned, and thrown out of cultivation before the 
end of 1 87 1. That magnificent valley was turned 
into a state of desolation from which it is now 
with difficulty struggling to recover. The same 
has been the fate of many of these old settlements 
in the central districts. Of late the movement 
has taken an easterly direction ; the insurgent 
bands are more frequently heard of in the neigh- 
borhood of Puerto Principe, Santiago, and 
Guantanamo, beyond the Trocha or military 
cordon, which the Spanish troops have estab- 
lished at Moron. 

Character of the War. 

"The nature of this war was determined 
partly by the conditions of the country and partly 
by the nature of the combatants. The island of 
Cuba is divided into three main departments, the 
Western, of which Havana is the capital, and 
which, so far as we can depend on the results of 
the census, had, in 1872, 1,034,616 inhabitants; 
the Central, capital Puerto Principe, with only 
75,725 inhabitants; the Eastern, capital Santiago 
de Cuba, with 249,096. The Western Depart- 
ment is the smallest, mostly level, and narrowest 
from sea to sea; it is in a great measure settled 
and prosperous, and here are the large sugar fac- 
tories and the tobacco plantations which constitute 
the enormous wealth of the island. In the Central 



138 CUBA. 

Department, out of the 75,725 inhabitants 30,585 
live in the capital, Puerto Principe. If we allow 
only a few thousands for each of the towns of 
the department — Trinidad, Sagua la Grande, 
Villa Clara, San Juan de los Remedios, etc. — we 
must conclude that its rural districts are a mere 
desert, a large portion of the territory consisting 
of savannas which are deemed irreclaimable, and 
of dense forests or mere brushwood which is also 
looked upon as doomed to unmitigated barrenness. 
Of whatever was available and brought into culti- 
vation, not a little has succumbed to the havoc of 
the civil war. On the eastern side, which boasted 
the oldest colonies, Santiago, Baracoa, Bayamo, 
Guantanamo, etc., the valleys up to a certain 
height had been made fruitful, and the mountains 
were covered with flourishing coffee estates, but 
not a little of the interior was left in a state of 
nature, and the vast tracts are marked, even in 
recent maps, as 'waste and uninhabited moun- 
tains,' or 'uncultivated and unexplored regions.' 
{Monies desiertos e incultos ; terrenos inhabitados e 
incultos.) The Sierra Maestra, or main chain, 
running along the whole southern coast from Cabo 
Cruz to Punta de Mayzi, rises to a height of 8000 
feet, i. e. y on a level with the loftiest Apennines. 
What culture there was in this region is rapidly 
disappearing. Many of the land-owners, with 
such wealth as they were able to save from 



CUBA. 139 

the wreck of their estates, have migrated to 
the United States, to Jamaica or other British 
possessions ; others have sold their slaves and 
cattle to the planters of the western or Havana 
department; and even in those districts from 
which, out of sheer exhaustion, the scourge of 
war has been removed, agriculture and industry 
find it difficult to revive, owing to the want of 
public confidence, as well as to the utter absence 
of capital and labor. 

Safety of Havana. 
"The Western Department has remained 
untouched throughout the struggle. Havana has 
little reason to distress itself about Cuban insur- 
rection. This prosperous, pleasure-loving city 
can afford to make itself as easy about Cespedes 
and his rebels as New York ever was as to the 
skirmishes with the Modoc or other Red Indians 
on the borders of the remotest territories, or 
Milan with respect to Pallavicini's attacks on the 
brigand fastnesses in the Basilicate. Indeed, 
as I have before hinted, the Havana people have 
had not only nothing to lose, but simply too much 
to gain from the calamities by which two-thirds of 
the island have been laid desolate. Havana is 
the centre of an extensive net of railways — 
about 1000 miles as I learn from the " Guide" — 
opening an easy and tolerably safe communication 
with Matanzas, Cardenas, and Sagua la Grande 



140 CUBA. 

on the northern coast, with Villa Clara in the 
centre and with Batabano and Cienfuegos on the 
southern coast. Havana has also a regular 
weekly steam-packet intercourse on the north 
with Matanzas, Cardenas, Sagua, Caibarien, 
Nuevitas, Jibara, and Baracoa ; and, on the south 
with Batabano, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Las Tunas, 
Santa Cruz, Manzanillo, Santiago, and Guantan- 
amo. But away from the wastes, and beyond 
the lines of railway, there is a vast debatable 
ground in which the insurrection can run riot, 
threatening now one, now another district, shifting 
its quarters according as it can hope to find means 
of subsistence, avoiding encounters, and escap- 
ing pursuit by withdrawing to its recesses of im- 
pervious forests or inaccessible mountains. 

" The war which the troops attempt to wage 
against the insurgent bands, owing to the extreme 
heat and unhealthiness of the climate, is only 
practicable in the winter months, between No- 
vember and May. Even in the immediate neigh- 
borhood of the cities, say half a mile from Ha- 
vana itself, the roads are abominable — mere 
tracks with deep ruts and holes, without the least 
attempt at macadamization ; such highways as 
hardly any country in Europe, the Spanish Penin- 
sula alone excepted, can any longer show. The 
troops at the opening of the campaign are con- 
veyed either by land or by sea to the localities 



CUBA. 141 

where the railway or the steamer can bring them 
nearest to the suspected haunts of the insurgents ; 
and thence, after a few miles, they plunge into 
the forest, drawn up in two, three or more col- 
umns, each column cutting its way through the 
thick of the wood as it advances, until it falls in 
with the enemy, who, after a few shots from the 
vantage ground of his ambush, seeks safety in a 
precipitate retreat to still more tangled thickets 
and still more arduous mountain fastnesses. In 
frequent instances the troops, which are but indif- 
ferently served by spies and which by reason of 
the nature of the ground and their own paucity 
of numbers are incapable of deploying, investing 
or surrounding the enemy, wander for days and 
weeks without seeing a rebel; and a commissioner 
of the ' New York Herald ' who, anxious ' to 
see the fun ' as he said, asked and obtained per- 
mission to follow one of the columns in an attack 
on a mountain gorge near Guantanamo, had to 
come back after a very fatiguing ride which 
turned out a mere wild-goose chase, the gorge 
being as silent and solitary as it may have been 
before it was first trodden by mortal footsteps. 
The insurrection which first broke out at Yara 
in the territory of Bayamo, the native place of 
Cespedes, in the eastern department, spread at 
first into the central districts and ravaged the 
territory of the ' Cinco Villas,' threatening each 



142 CUBA. 

of them, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, etc., by turns ; 
but routed at many points, it again shifted its 
ground to the eastern department, to that region 
of 'Montes Desiertos eTerrenos Incultos,' where 
the troops can make no headway against it. Once 
only, in the whole course of four years, did the 
insurrection show any disposition to abandon its 
defensive attitude, and this was when, by a coup 
de main, it swooped down upon Holquin, an 
inland town above Jibara. But even then the 
insurgents only held the town for a few hours, 
and withdrew without awaiting an encounter with 
the troops, after plundering the helpless inhabit- 
ants. From other towns the volunteers have 
hitherto at all times been sufficiently strong to 
ward off rebel attacks. 

The Spanish Mistake. 
"It is the opinion of competent persons that 
had the Madrid Government been able and 
willing to send a force of 30,000 or 40,000 men, 
choosing its best troops, and at once setting them 
to carve wide military roads through the bush, 
sweeping the whole rebel region as if by a grand 
battle on a well-laid and comprehensive plan, the 
disturbance would long since have been at an 
end ; for the fighting powers of the insurgents are 
absolutely below contempt. But the Spanish 
Government has always sent its forces by mere 
driblets— at the utmost 4,000 or 5,000 at a time ; 



CUBA. H3 

it has sent, not unfrequently, volunteer battalions 
from the cities, raw and unseasoned recruits — in 
a recent instance 1,000 Carlist prisoners, mere 
undisciplined and ill-conditioned bandits — and it 
has limited its efforts to guerrilla operations ; a 
wayward and desultory mode of warfare in which 
its opponents were fully able to meet it with 
equal weapons. Of late the Government has 
had recourse to a strategy of Trochas, or military 
cordons, intended not to suppress the insur- 
rection, but only to hem it in if possible within 
certain limits. A line of that description has, as 
I said, been drawn from Moron all across the 
country to the southern coast ; thereby acknow- 
ledging the impotence of the troops to occupy 
and thoroughly subdue the interior of at least 
one-half of the island. Upon this footing it is 
reckoned the war has already led to the destruc- 
tion of 150,000 human lives; though the men 
actually slain in battle may perhaps be counted 
by hundreds, while thousands on the part of 
the insurgents have fallen victims to execu- 
tions after capture, and on the part of the 
soldiers to fever and cholera, the consequence of 
prolonged hardships, bad and scanty food, un- 
sheltered quarters, and the insalubrity of the 
climate. Competent military authorities have 
no great opinion of the tactics by which the 
Spanish generals now hope to shut in and en- 



144 CUBA. 

compass the rebels by their cordons, so as to 
isolate and localize the war. The scheme, they 
think, is a mere delusion ; for on the one hand 
the whole Spanish fleet would be insufficient to 
blockade the many little bays and inlets with 
which the extensive coasts of the island are 
everywhere indented, protected as they are by 
their numberless cayos, or coral reefs covered 
with verdure which form a perfect shoal of islets 
stretching far out to sea and perplexing naviga- 
tion by their endless maze of intricate channels ; 
and, on the other hand, the forests in these 
regions are not only impenetrable, but, as ex- 
experience has proved, actually indestructible by 
fire, and their growth is so rapid that the 
tracks made in the winter are almost utterly 
obliterated before the summer is over, while 
the mountain ridges, rising one behind the 
other, enable the guerrilla bands to cross from 
vale to vale and from glen to glen with a be- 
wildering rapidity which seems to multiply their 
forces and invest them with the gift of ubiquity. 
Strength of tne Patriots. 
" There is a bare possibility that the insur- 
rection may end in the utter extermination of the 
insurgents by breaking open and laying bare all 
their forest lairs and mountain haunts, and inter- 
secting the most savage districts with nets of roads 
and railroads, such as neither Cuba nor Spain her- 



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cuba. 1 47 

self can boast. But an enterprise of that nature 
would require heroic, gigantic and, above all, sus- 
tained and unremitting exertions. It could not be 
achieved by fits and starts — not by a five or six 
months' campaign, nor by any series of them. As 
to any possibility of starving, or wearying or dis- 
heartening the insurgents, that seems out of the 
question. They appear to be well supplied with 
arms and money ; they live on the wild fruits of 
the earth, on the yams, bananas, cocoanuts, and 
other productions which they, or their families, or 
the many free negroes enlisted in their ranks, 
cultivate the small patches of the uninvaded dis- 
tricts. They have also abundance of game, and 
they feast especially on a wild rat of a peculiar 
kind, as large as a cat and as tender as a kid, 
the flavor of which they prefer to that of any 
other meat. 

" They rely for recruits, or anything else they 
may want, on the sympathies of the Creole or na- 
tive population throughout the island, and in Hav- 
ana itself ; and where the goodwill of their friends 
fails, the greed and avarice of their enemies come 
to their aid ; for there are men in Havana and 
other cities — Spaniards and others — who, where 
there is anything to be gained, are as little scru- 
pulous about dealing with the one as with the 
other belligerent, and who, while supplying the 
soldiers, would sell their very souls to the insur- 

9 



148 CUBA. 

gents, if these latter had any occasion for such 
a commodity, and could afford to pay for it. 
Nay, more ! I have been assured, though I have 
great reluctance in believing it, that some of the 
colonels and other officers in command of the 
columns of regular troops, manage to prolong 
hostilities either by ignoring the enemy when 
they have him in their toils and could compel 
him to give battle, or by showing great slowness 
and remissness in the pursuit when they have 
routed and put him to flight. Their dishonorable 
conduct seems to be actuated either by a desire 
to perpetuate a struggle which leads to speedy 
promotion, or by some other consideration of a 
baser and more sordid consideration. 

Effects of the War upon the Island. 
" No country in the world was intended for 
a finer, richer or happier abode of man than this 
" Pearl of the Antilles," nor could better have 
withstood the ravages of a four-years' civil war. 
Yet the results of that civil war begin to tell, at 
least on the central and eastern departments of 
the island where the beauty and fertility are more 
conspicuous. The port of Manzanillo, said the 
English Consul to me, was visited yearly before 
the insurrection by thirty to forty British vessels ; 
since then their number has dwindled down to 
eight or ten. And the same tale may be told of 
every harbor in the island, Havana alone, and 



CUBA. 149 

perhaps Matanzas and Cardenas excepted. Man- 
zanillo, like Cienfuegos, is a comparatively new 
town.* Its level territory, for a distance of ten to 
twelve leagues from the Sierra Maestra, was cut 
up into sugar estates, many of which have been 
burned or abandoned, while the others simply exist 
at the insurgents' discretion. No man can ven- 
ture half a league out of town at night ; no man 
can travel even by day to Bayamo, a few leagues 
off, without an escort of at least sixty well-armed 
men. Yet the little seaport itself is considered 
safe from a coup de main y as it has been hastily 
surrounded with petty forts ; it boasts a force of 
400 volunteers, besides 200 bomberos, or firemen, 
all staunch in their loyalty ; and it has, besides, 
regular troops everywhere quartered in the envi- 
rons. Every place in these districts, however in- 
significant, is thus virtually an encampment. At 
Santiago, where is the chief command of the east- 
ern department, life and property are somewhat 
safer ; yet the beautiful coffee plantations estab- 
lished there and at Guantanamo by French fugi- 
tives from the negro insurrection of Hayti at the 
close of the last century have in a great measure 
disappeared ; and what cultivation still survives 
depends for safety on the immediate protection of 
the troops — a protection precarious at the best of 
times, and in return for which the wants of the 
soldiers have to be supplied and their comforts 



i5o 



CUBA. 



attended to ; for it is only by cheerfully submitting 
to be plundered by friends that the proprietor 
may hope to escape being pillaged by enemies. 
And even when no immediate danger arises from 
the approach of the insurgents, the military au- 
thorities compel the planter either to maintain a 
large garrison at his own cost for his defense — the 
ordinary number is sixty men, volunteers or reg- 
ulars — or else to remove all his movable prop- 
erty ; to gut and unroof his house, lest it should 
afford shelter and become a stronghold to the 
rebels. 

Ruined Towns. 

"The prosperity of which Havana and the 
Western Department of the island show such 
splendid symptoms, contrasts very sadly with the 
distress and misery which meet the traveler as 
he proceeds eastward. You see young towns 
like Cienfuegos, Manzanillo, Sagua and others, 
which only ten years ago were rising in import- 
ance and were laying out promenades, building 
theatres, concert halls, and casinos, and so 
ministering to the only luxuries of Spanish life, 
suddenly stunted in their growth and, as it were, 
death-stricken. The population of Santiago has 
indeed increased, but merely by becoming the 
refuge of the land-owners and of the rural popu- 
lation whom the Civil War has driven from their 
homes. At this rate, homestead after home- 



CUBA. I 5 T 

stead, district after district, and eventually a large 
portion of the island will be dying off surely and 
not slowly ; and already the United States, the 
Spanish Republics of Central America and the 
British colonies swarm with Cuban fugitives. 
There is a ' Little Cuba ' in Jamaica. From 
1,500 to 2,000 exiles have sought a shelter, and 
many of them have made themselves at home 
there. Some have brought capital, with what- 
ever they were able to scrape together out of the 
wreck of their fortunes. They have purchased 
land — one of them an estate worth. $7,000, and 
have become naturalized British subjects, although 
the law in Jamaica allows aliens to possess real 
estate. They are now pursuing their former 
vocations as sugar, tobacco and coffee planters 
with a success which not only bids fair to retrieve 
their losses, but which has even the effect of stir- 
ring the somewhat dormant energies of the 
British Creoles in Jamaica, and thereby contri- 
buting to the general improvement of that 
unfortunate island, of which cheering symptoms 
have been apparent for the last seven or eight 
years. It is not without great astonishment that 
these new Cuban settlers become familiar with 
some of the peculiarities of English law in their 
new home. One of them was lately involved in 
a law-suit about the title deeds of an estate he 
had purchased, against no less a person than the 



152 CUBA. 

Queen of England, as owner of the Crown 
domains in her good island of Jamaica. The 
Cuban, with great misgiving, brought his action 
into Court at the earnest suggestion of his 
lawyer. The case was tried, and the Cuban — 
won the suit ! Think of the Government ever 
allowing itself to be beaten by a private subject, 
and he an alien, in Spain or in her colonies! 
Brittle Fighting, Much Destruction. 
" It is painful to think what a mere ' ha'p'orth ' 
of fighting goes to all this ' intolerable deal ' of 
ravage and destruction. I traveled from Santiago 
to San Luis, a distance of thirty-two kilometres, 
by rail. The line is cut through a deep gorge of 
the Sierra Maestra, and is flanked all along by 
little wooden towers, mere huts guarded by de- 
tachments of regular Spanish troops, each little 
garrison from five to fifty men strong. All along 
the railway line, and beyond it, all the way to 
Puerto Principe, the headquarters of the Central 
Department, and to Havana, there are telegraph 
wires which run across the island throughout the 
whole insurgent district. These wires are also 
under the protection of detached military posts ; 
and so utterly incapable or powerless are the 
insurgent chiefs, Cespedes, Agramonte, the broth- 
ers Garcia, Modesto Diaz, Maximo Gomez, and 
the rest, that any interruption, either to railway 
trains or telegraphic messages, is an extremely 



CUBA. 153 

rare occurrence. The insurgents, if we are to 
believe the military authorities here, do not muster 
more than 3,000 effective combatants. But by the 
estimate of impartial men their number is estimated 
at 8,000, most of them well armed. Can it be con- 
ceived that so strong a force, divided into almost 
ubiquitous bands, and favored by high mountains 
and dense forests, should find it so difficult either 
to stop the railway traffic or to prevent telegraphic 
intercourse ? A few mounted men with half the 
spirit of the Prussian Uhlans, or a picked band with 
some of the dash and determination of Garibaldi's 
1 thousand,' would long ago have burned half the 
towers of the Spanish soldiers and overpowered 
their feeble garrisons ; they would have beaten up 
the quarters of the volunteers of the town by 
a coup de main ; at all events they would have dis- 
tinguished themselves by exploits more heroic than 
the mere attack on some lonely plantation and the 
plunder of its contents. To fight, however, even 
with the odds on their side, to take the initiative 
against the troops, or even to await their attacks, 
seems not, at least for the present, to enter into 
the plans of the insurgents. On the other hand 
the troops, whenever they come to any knowledge 
of the position of the insurgents, have to plunge 
in single file into the thick of pathless forests ; 
they grope up blindly till warned by a few random 
shots of the presence of the insurgents, and they 



154 CUBA. 

fire wildly into the bush without aim, till the 
silence of the enemy's fire assures them that the 
rebels have decamped, when they take possession 
of the abandoned field, sing out 'Victory,' and 
bring back a mule or a couple of naked negro 
children as spoils and trophies. 

Tactics of tlie Two Armies. 
"The real truth is that both parties are, from 
different reasons, interested in avoiding encoun- 
ters and prolonging the strife. The Cubans are 
confident that time is fighting their battles. They 
think, not without reason, that they must in the 
long run tire out, dishearten and demoralize the 
troops at present arrayed against them ; and they 
rely on the incessant and incurable disorders of 
Spain for a gradual diminution and final cessation 
of yearly reinforcements. Already this year, they 
say, not more than 2000 men, and of these many 
worthless adventurers, have been landed at Nue- 
vitas. The republic has hardly troops enough to 
confront the Carlists in Navarre and the Alphon- 
sists in Catalonia ; hardly troops enough to hold 
its own in Madrid, even supposing that those 
troops are bent on supporting it. For months, or 
perhaps years, anarchical Spain can hardly be- 
stow a serious thought upon Cuba ; and the com- 
manding officers here, seeing themselves aban- 
doned to their own scanty resources, are only 
anxious to give up the game and resign their 



CUBA. 155 

office. General Morales, who was in command of 
the Eastern Department while I was in Santiago, 
left that city for Havana and Spain early in 
March, and Cevallor, who was Captain-General 
and Governor of the whole island, followed a few 
weeks later. Even those who are not eagerly 
soliciting their recall have neither the means nor 
the mind for extensive operations, and limit their 
efforts to that objectless desultory warfare which 
has hitherto led, and which can lead to no other 
result than to perpetuate the struggle. Owing 
either to false view of economy in the payment 
of spies or to the disaffection of the people, the 
Spanish officers are absolutely in the dark as to 
the movements of their adversaries ; while the 
insurgents, sure of the sympathy of the Creoles 
in town and country, keep up a regular inter- 
course with every part of the island. They have 
secret committees at work for them here at San- 
tiago, at Manzanillo, at Puerto Principe, and 
everywhere else ; and through them communi- 
cate with Key West, in Florida, with Jamaica and 
with any point from which arms, ammunition, 
provisions and fresh auxiliaries may be sent to 
them. I have alluded to the beauty of the coast 
of Cuba and of the inlets with which it is indented ; 
but all along both north and south there are laby- 
rinths of what are here called cayos, coral reefs 
and banks covered with bright verdure, still and 



156 CUBA. 

solitary, through which smugglers of every de- 
scription can thread their way with perfect impu- 
nity, dodging the coastguards from islet to islet, 
and choosing their own time and spot to land their 
cargo. The Spanish cruisers might as well hope 
to scoop out the Gulf of Mexico with a teaspoon 
as to put any check upon the Cuban contraband 
of war. 

The Spaniards Half-Hearted. 

" But in reality both the land and sea forces 
of Spain are only half-hearted in the work ; the 
soldiers especially are so ill paid, so ill-fed and 
exposed to such sufferings from the climate that 
desertions to the enemy are becoming of frequent 
occurrence, even among the non-commissioned 
officers, some of whom are to be heard of now 
among the most skillful and adventurous insur- 
gent leaders. For their own part, the Spanish 
commanding officers, anxious to fill vacancies in 
the ranks, enlist adventurers of every description, 
and even the despised Chinese coolies are 
occasionally to be seen clad in Spanish uniforms ; 
but in the ranks immediately below the supreme 
commanders there are men, as I have said, to 
whom the war insures comparatively easy work 
with exceptionally speedy promotion ; these find 
their advantage in the indefinite prolongation of 
hostilities and have means to prolong them at 
their own discretion. Military men, like other 



CUBA. 157 

officials, have been for centuries, and still are, 
sent to this unfortunate colony only to make 
money ; and as they hate both the land and the 
people, and are over-anxious to accomplish their 
abject and be off, they go to work with a bold- 
ness and recklessness that know no limits, 
and which have thoroughly vitiated every rank of 
the rulers, as well as every class of the subjects. 
"Robamos todos " — we are all thieves — is the 

motto. 

Slaughter in the "Five Towns." 

" In the region of the Five Towns the Span- 
iards went to work upon the principle that ' pre- 
vention is better than cure.' They took the 
disaffection for granted and determined that it 
should never ripen into open rebellion. Not only 
did they shoot all the insurgents whom they 
caught with arms in their hands, but they slew 
without mercy many of the unarmed fugitives 
whom terror of their approach had driven into 
the woods, and they doomed to the same fate 
others who had remained quietly at home, but 
who were suspected of sympathy with the rebel 
cause. One of the first men who fell into their 
hands was my Creole host ; the gentleman, who 
as I said, had incurred their displeasure by pre- 
suming to employ none but free laborers in his 
plantations ; the Volunteers of the petty towns in 
the neighborhood invaded and ravaged his es- 



158 CUBA. 

tate and denounced him to the soldiers, who 
arrested him, shot two of his foremen and several 
inoffensive countrymen before his eyes in cold 
blood and without even the pretence of a trial, 
kept him in a condemned cell for three days, 
threatening him with the same fate, the officer in 
command meeting all his protests and remon- 
strances with the cool remark, 'All I know is 
that if I shoot you I shall be promoted a step.' 
The prisoner slipped through his hands, never- 
theless, and upon clearing himself of all imputa- 
tions before the Captain-General at Havana, 
he was reassured as to his personal safety ; but 
the General at the same time advised him, ' as a 
friend,' to say nothing about damages for his 
destroyed property, as, ' under the circumstances, 
he ought to be only too thankful to have escaped 
with his life.' 

"It could not, of course, be expected that 
the insurgents on their own side should abstain 
from fearful reprisals. The practice with them 
when a prisoner, and especially an officer, falls 
into their hands, is to tie his feet up to a tree, and 
to pile up fuel under the dangling head ; thus 
burning their enemy alive with a slow fire. 
Indeed, it would not be easy to ascertain on 
which side the atrocities first began, or are carried 
to greater lengths. The rule is that all prisoners 
be shot without discrimination. Nay, the con- 



CUBA. 159 

querors even grudge their powder and shot, and 
the victims are usually despatched with machetes, 
a kind of long chopping-knife or cutlass peculiar 
to a cane-growing country, and to be almost in- 
variably seen at the side of every combatant as 
well as in every laborer's hand. Some of the 
soldiers and Volunteers have acquired such skill 
in the use of this weapon that they cut off a man's 
head with all the mastery of a professional exe- 
cutioner. These men march in the rear of their 
detachments ; and upon any suspected person 
being apprehended, the officer in command, after 
a brief examination, orders the prisoner 'to the 
rear,' where he is immediately hacked to pieces 
by the inexorable Macheteros. As a rule also the 
bodies of the slain are left unburied on the spot 
where they fall. The turkey-buzzards swarming 
everywhere in the island, and whose life is pro- 
tected by law on account of their usefulness as 
public scavengers, fatten on the rotting human 
carcasses ; and it is not without a shudder that 
one sees these foul birds hovering everywhere in 
the air, and poising themselves on their wings 
above the forests where the remnants of their 
hideous feasts in every stage of decomposition 
still attract them. 

Outrages Upon Women. 
Women fare as badly in the hands of the com- 
batants as men ; unless their personal attractions 



l6o CUBA. 

recommend them to a temporary reprieve and 
put off their execution till they have endured all 
conceivable outrages. Houses where scores of 
young women were hiding have been entered by 
a licentious soldiery with officers at their head, by 
whom every woman was first violated, then killed. 
The Havana and Madrid authorities have before 
them evidence of some of the most shocking cases 
of this description in which the crime was both 
proved and punished ; but how many more might 
be mentioned, in which it was impossible to bring 
the offenders to justice ! There have been fre- 
quent instances of wives whose husbands were 
either killed before their very eyes or driven to 
the bush in sheer despair, and who presently 
made friends with the officer who had widowed 
them, consenting to live with them on any terms. 
Of this fact I was equally assured by my Creole 
host and by the Spanish officer who sat with us 
at the same hospitable board ; with this difference, 
however, that the latter quoted it as evidence of 
the innate baseness and depravity of the Creole 
women, while the former contended that these 
women, in consenting to live with their captors, 
did so from a vindictive design to deal with them 
after the manner of Delilahs — a design which was 
often carried into execution, the women acting as 
spies on the movements of their new lovers and 
leading them into insurgent ambushes. People 



CUBA. l6l 

living in the ' Five Towns ' grow very eloquent 
when they relate the exploits of a handsome girl 
whom they call 'The Maid of Las Tunas.' This 
fair adventuress used to ride in arms, Amazon- 
like, as a scout to the insurgents, with all the zeal 
and intrepidity of Garibaldi's young Countess at 
Varese. She fell three times into the hands of 
the Spaniards, to whom she had become well 
known. Twice did her charms redeem her from 
the hands of the officers, but in the third instance 
she came into the power of a less susceptible 
warrior, who delivered her over to the brutality of 
his soldiers, after which he doomed her to the fate 
of Joan of Arc. 

Atrocities of Camp Followers. 
" As happens in all wars, and especially civil 
wars, the combatants on either side are not al- 
ways answerable for the worst deeds perpetrated 
in their name. The disturbed districts are over- 
run by camp followers, Bandoleros, and marauders 
of the worst description, who, hoisting now one 
flag, now the other, really make war on their own 
account, and whose hand is against every man. 
These, when caught, are with great impartiality 
immediately shot by both parties ; but no readi- 
ness or activity of summary justice seems greatly 
to effect their number or to check their audacity. 
It is mainly on account of them that a ride from one 
to the other of the five towns, and especially from 



1 62 CUBA. 

Villa Clara to Trinidad or San Juan de los Reme- 
dios, cannot be safely undertaken without an escort. 
To what extent war and its consequences have 
ravaged these districts may be inferred from the 
fact already mentioned, that the population of the 
Central Department, embracing a whole third of 
the island, is, according to the official statistics, 
reduced to 75,000 souls, whites and blacks in- 
cluded. Besides massacres, proscriptions and 
banishments, mere administrative stupidity con- 
tributed to turn the country into a desert. By a 
decree of Cabellero de Rodas, in July, 1869, the 
whole population of the rural districts was concen- 
trated — that is, huddled together — in the little town 
of St. Espiritu, with a view to having it under 
strict guard and control, where, owing to want of 
proper accommodation and wholesome food, and 
indeed of air to breathe, they were soon invaded 
by cholera, small pox and other deseases, to 
which, in some cases, one to ten, and in other 
cases, one to three, rapidly succumbed, the rav- 
age soon extending to the soldiers and volunteers 
set to watch over them. I have known families 
belonging to St. Espiritu who were on that occa- 
sion driven from the town by that awful mortality, 
and whom nothing in the world would now induce 
to go back to their homes, unable as they are to 
overcome the bare recollection of the sufferings 
they have witnessed. While the population thus 



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General D. Valeriano Weyler, 
Ex-Captain- General and Spanish Commander-in-Chief in Cuba, 



CUBA. 



165 



perished, the troops achieved a thorough devas- 
tation of the country, burning the crops, slaugh- 
tering the cattle, gutting the houses, hoping thus, 
as their commander said in his order of the day, 
'to starve out the rebellion.' 

" By such means a great portion of the 
Central Department has been brought into sub- 
jection, and ' order ' reigns there. It is not 
impossible that the application of the same 
remedy may effect the cure of rebellion in the 
Eastern districts ; though it must be observed 
that the region of the Five Towns, from Matanzas 
to Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, and all along the 
southern coast, is almost a dead level, where a 
few sugar plantations are scattered like vast 
islands on a surface still encumbered with unfilled 
savannas and scrubby forests, or, as the natives 
call them Montes. But beyond Trinidad and 
throughout the territory of Puerto Principe and 
Santiago are real Montanas — hilly ridges covered 
with thick woods, where the insurgents may 
offer an obstinate resistance, and where, in the 
opinion of most men, the Civil War may be 
perpetuated. But even in the districts where 
every spark of the insurrection has been trodden 
down, that hatred which prompted it is far from 
subsiding ; it smoulders, on the contrary, more 
sullenly than ever, and it finds vent in passionate 
outbursts and in strong appeals to the stranger. 

10 



CHAPTER VII. 



ARROGANT CONDUCT OF THE SPANISH TOWARD 

AMERICANS AND ENGLISH THE " VIRGINIUS " 

OUTRAGE SHOOTING FOUR CUBAN PATRIOTS 

AMERICAN CITIZENS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD 

WILD DEMONSTRATIONS OF JOY SURRENDER 

OF THE " VIRGINIUS " THE FORMAL TRANSFER 

HOW AN ENGLISH CAPTAIN PREVENTED ONE 

MASSACRE. 



m 



LL THROUGH the Ten Years' War the 
Spanish authorities acted in a particu- 
larly arrogant manner toward Ameri- 
cans and Englishmen, and indeed toward all 
foreigners who were suspected of sympathy with 
the insurgents. Ships were stopped by Spanish 
cruisers and searched in the most arbitrary 
fashion. If anything in the nature of arms or 
ammunition were found aboard it was confiscated, 
and the captain of the ship was lucky if he was 
not hanged at his own yard-arm. 

The " Virgrinius " Outrage. 

These outrages culminated in the famous 

"Virginius" affair, which came very near to 

causing war between the United States and 

Spain. The " Virginius" was a small side-wheel 

(166) 



CUBA. 167 

steamer, flying- the American flag, commanded 
by Capt. Frey, of New Orleans, an American 
citizen and a veteran of our civil war, and 
manned in part by American and British sailors. 
The " Virginius " slipped in and out of Cuban har- 
bors with wonderful success, carrying arms and 
re-enforcements to the patriot army. 

At last, on October 31, 1873, she was cap- 
tured with all on board by the Spanish gunboat 
"Tornado." She had 170 passengers and crew, 
who with the vessel and cargo were taken to 
Santiago de Cuba. The " Tornado," which had 
been searching for the " Virginius" since her 
attempted landing on the south coast of Cuba, 
came in sight of her at 2.30 p. m. on the 31st, 
and immediately gave chase. The filibuster put 
on all steam and made for Jamaica, hoping to 
find refuge in British waters. In her flight she 
threw overboard several horses, and used a 
portion of her cargo for fuel. But the "Tornado " 
caught up with her at 10 p. m. near the Jamaica 
coast, and she surrendered with all on board, not 
one of whom escaped. 

Shooting- Four Cuban Patriots* 

Among the prisoners were Bernabe Varona, 
alias Bembetta, Pedro Cespedes, Jesus del Sol, 
and Gen. Ryan. The tribunal at Santiago de 
Cuba, before which the prisoners were taken, 
condemned these four to death. Although 



1 68 CUBA. 

instructions were sent from the Government at 
Madrid to await orders from the Home Govern- 
ment before inflicting penalties on the passengers 
or men of the " Virginius," the order was probably 
received too late to be respected. The four 
prisoners were shot at the place made famous by 
previous executions and in the usual manner, 
kneeling close to the slaughter-house wall. All 
marched to the spot with firmness. Bembetta 
and Ryan showed marked courage, although the 
former was slightly affected toward the last. The 
two others quite broke down before they were 
bandaged, but Ryan kept up to the last, never 
flinched a moment, and died without fear or regret. 
Bembetta and Ryan were killed at the first dis- 
charge. They were in irons when they were 
marched against the low, square structure of 
adobe. Fifteen feet above them the red tile roof 
projected. At their feet there was a ditch to 
catch raindrops. They were made to kneel, 
facing the wall. The wall above them was pitted 
deep with the bullets that flew over their heads. 
As they fell into the ditch the cavalry rode over 
the warm bodies, and military wagons crunched 
and slipped on the bodies. Negroes cut off the 
heads and carried them on spikes through the 
city, and the mutilated bodies were dumped into 
a pit of quicklime, and the entire affair was soon 
forgotten by its perpetrators. 



CUBA. 169 

American Citizens Murdered in Cold Blood. 

On November 7, the captain of the "Vir- 
ginius" and thirty-six of the crew were put to 
death in the same fashion, and on the next day 
twelve more of the Cuban volunteers on the 
vessel were shot. Franchi Alfaro, who was 
among the latter number, offered the Spanish 
authorities $1,000,000 if they would spare his 
life. Captain Frey and thirty-six of his men 
were taken ashore on the morning of the 7th, 
and taken to the prison, to remain there until 
their execution, which was ordered for that after- 
noon. Capt. Frey, a noble-looking old man, 
fully a head taller than the rest of the crew, when 
he met his men on the wharf, previous to the 
march to the prison, saluted them all. The salute 
was returned with affection. At 4.45 p. m. they 
were publicly shot, despite the protest of all the 
competent foreign authorities. The marines were 
seven minutes killing the wretched prisoners. It 
seemed as though they would never finish. At 
last the sailors marched off, and the troops filed 
past the long row of corpses. Then the dead 
carts were hurried up and loaded indiscriminately 
with the mangled remains. The American Con- 
sul did all that could have been done to prevent 
the massacre. Indeed it was threatened that his 
exequatur would be withdrawn for his exertions 
in behalf of the prisoners. In an interview with 



1 70 CUBA. 

Gen. Burriel, that officer yelled at him and other- 
wise treated him disrespectfully. The British 
Consul also made an ineffectual protest against 
the execution. Sixteen of the victims were 
British subjects. 

Of the crew who were not killed by the Span- 
iards at Santiago de Cuba, four were condemned 
to the chain-gang for life, three to eight years' 
imprisonment, eight to four years' imprisonment, 
and three were set at liberty. 

Wild Demonstrations of Joy. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the tidings of the 
execution of Gen. Varona, Pedro Cespedes, Jesus 
del Sol and Gen. Ryan reached Havana, and the 
inhabitants immediately relinquished all business 
pursuits and gave themselves up to the wildest 
demonstrations of joy. Bonfires were kindled, 
public and private buildings were illuminated, the 
larger streets were festooned with Chinese lan- 
terns and even the less important localities were 
not exempt from the manifestations of joy. 
Later in the evening the whole population 
seemed to pour out into the streets and the 
volunteers paraded through the city. Torchlight 
processions were numerous, and bands of music 
inspired new enthusiasm in the breasts of the 
impulsive Spaniards. The project of raising 
subscriptions and presenting some testimonial to 
the officers of the " Tornado," to whom the cap- 



CUBA. 1 7 I 

ture of the "Virginius" was due, met with gen- 
eral approval, and these officers were regarded 
with universal gratitude. On the following 
morning (Thursday, Nov. 6) the general hilarity 
was renewed, and toward evening another grand 
demonstration took place. The palace of the 
Governor was brilliantly illuminated, the public 
buildings and private residences were extensively 
decorated, and flags and banners waved above 
the volunteers, who paraded the streets in full 
force. The Captain-General and General of the 
Marine were the recipients of unusual honors, 
and the serenades which they received were par- 
ticipated in by hundreds. The city was again 
given over to general rejoicing, and grand ban- 
quets were held in many sections of the city. At 
that time the enthusiasm was at its height. The 
outburst of joy occasioned by the reception of 
the strange tidings was naturally followed by a 
reaction, and in the few succeeding days the city 
gradually regained its former composure. The 
Cuban revolutionists in the city could of course 
only look on in terror at the demonstrations 
above described. Many concealed themselves as 
well as they could, and none dared to express 
their opinions in public. 

The North American continent thrilled with 
indignation in view of this outrage. The press 
voiced the demand of the people for apology. 



172 CUBA. 

indemnity, revenge, and the recognition of the 
Cubans, unorganized as they were, as belligerents. 
The government seemed to share the popular 
feeling to a considerable degree. War between 
Spain and the United States seemed to be immi- 
nent and unavoidable. 

Our poor little navy, consisting of wooden 
vessels of antiquated models and of iron-clads 
dusty from disuse, was patched up as quickly as 
possible and ordered to rendezvous at Key West, 
whence it might descend upon Cuba in a night. 

But a half bluff is worse than no bluff at all. 
It was soon apparent that the government at 
Washington did not mean business any further 
than requiring the surrender of the " Virginius," 
and of the surviving members of her crew, and 
an indemnity, trivial in amount, for the blood of 
those American citizens whose nationality could 
be proved beyond peradventure. The State 
Department did not share the belligerent disposi- 
tion of the Navy Department. Secretary Fish 
was able, patriotic and incorruptible, but some- 
how or other the legal representatives of the 
Spanish Government managed to block the way, 
and Spanish diplomacy, then as now, was plausi- 
ble and resourceful. 

Whatever the cause, the naval display at Key 
West was feeble and ineffective. Our flagship, 
at least, like the British flagship, should have 



CUBA. 173 

gone to Havana. As a matter of fact, Admiral 
Scott had to make an excuse and get express 
authority to send over a dispatch boat, and was 
dependent upon the newspaper correspondents, or 
one of them, for news of what was going on in 
his immediate front. 

Weeks of diplomatic negotiation and naval 
bluster ensued, and at last the Spanish Govern- 
ment agreed to surrender the " Virginius " to the 
United States authorities, and to salute the 
American flag. How ungraciously this was done 
has been well told by Major Handy, the well 
known correspondent. 

Surrender of the " Virginitis." 

"The race between the correspondents for 
news was very hot. Every man as the repre- 
sentative of his newspaper was on his mettle and 
enterprise was at a premium. McGahan had the 
advantage of being ward-room guest on a man- 
of-war. Fox was paymaster's yeoman on the 
'Pinta,' the fastest boat in the navy. When we 
learned that the 'Virginius' was to be surren- 
dered we all realized that that event would end 
the campaign. The point then was to be in at the 
death and to obtain the best if not the exclusive 
story of the ceremony and attendant circum- 
stances. The lips of the government officials 
were sealed as to the time and place appointed. 
In fact the programme was arranged at Washing- 



1 74 CUBA. 

ton by the Secretary of State and the Spanish 
Minister and communicated confidentially to 
Admiral Scott. However, I managed to get at 
the secret, and, thus armed, 'stowed away' on 
the ' Despatch,' which was the vessel appointed to 
receive the surrender. Capt. Rogers commanded 
the ' Despatch,' but the receiving officer was Capt. 
Whiting. The fleet captain and the other officers 
of the detail were Lieut. Adolph Marix, Master 
George A. Calhoun and Assistant Engineer 
N. H. Lambdin. With them were thirty-nine 
sailor men from the ' Pawnee,' who were to man 
the surrendered vessel as a prize crew. All of 
these people except Capt. Whiting were ignorant 
of their instructions, not even knowing their des- 
tination, and the pilot taken aboard before leaving 
Key West had sealed orders. 

"We left Key West on Sunday night at 10 
o'clock. We were in the open sea before I ven- 
tured to make my appearance on deck, present 
myself to the officers, declare myself a stowaway, 
and verify my information as to their mission. 
The next morning at 10 o'clock the blue hills of 
the Cuban coast rose above the horizon and the 
bow of the 'Despatch' was directed toward 
Bahia Honda, the obscure little port selected for 
the function. It was about noon when we passed 
an old fort called Murillo, commanding the en- 
trance to the harbor. Speed was then slackened, 



CUBA. 175 

and the vessel crept cautiously along the narrow, 
but clearly marked channel which leads to the 
smooth water where the ' Virginius ' was sup- 
posed to be lying. 

" As soon as the ' Despatch ' was sighted 
from shore, the Spanish flag, bearing the crown, 
notwithstanding the republic abolishing that 
monarchical emblem, was flung to the breeze. 
We discovered a black side-wheel steamship lying 
about a mile beyond the fort. It was the * Vir- 
ginius.' No other craft, except two or three 
coasting steamers, or Ashing smacks, was then 
visible, and it was not until we were about to 
come to anchor that we discerned a Spanish sloop- 
of-war lying close under the shore, about two and 
a haK miles away. 

" Very soon a boat from the Spanish man-of- 
war came alongside of the ' Virginius,' and 
immediately the Stars and Stripes were raised by 
Spanish hands, and again floated over the vessel 
which carried Ryan and his unfortunate comrades 
to their death At the same moment we saw by 
the aid of field-glasses, another boat let down 
from the Spanish vessel. It proved to be the 
captain's gig, and brought to the ' Despatch' 
a naval officer in full uniform, who proved to be 
Senor de la Camera, of the Spanish sloop-of-war 
' Favorita.' He stepped briskly forward, and 
was met at the gangway by Capt. Rogers and 



176 CUBA. 

Capt. Whiting. After an exchange of courteous 
salutations, Commander de la Camera remarked 
that he had received a copy of the protocol pro- 
viding for the surrender of the ' Virginius,' and 
that the surrender might now be considered to 
have taken place. Captain Whiting replied that 
under his instructions the following day was 
named for the surrender, and that he could not 
receive it until that time. Meanwhile he would 
thank the Spanish officer to continue in posses- 
sion. Nine o'clock on Tuesday morning was then 
agreed upon as the hour, and after informing the 
American officer that there was coal enough on 
board of the ' Virginius ' to last six days, salutes 
were exchanged and the Spanish officer retired. 

"The next morning, half an hour ahead of 
time, the gig of the 'Favorita' came over to the 
' Virginius.' It contained oarsmen and a single 
officer. As the latter stepped on deck a petty 
officer and a half dozen men, who had stood 
watch on the ' Virginius ' during the night, went 
over the side and remained in a dingy awaiting 
orders. At 9 precisely by the bells the American 
flag again flew to the flagstaff of the 'Virginius/ 
and at the same moment a boat containing Capt. 
Whiting and Lieut. Marix put away from the 
'Despatch.' As they ascended the accommoda- 
tion ladder of the ' Virginius ' the single man on 
deck, who proved to be Senor de la Camera, 



cuba. 1 77 

advanced and made a courteous salute. The offi- 
cers then read their respective instructions, and 
Capt. de la Camera remarked that in obedience 
to the requirements of the government and in 
execution of the provisions of the protocol, he 
had the honor to turn over the steamer ' Virgin- 
ius ' to the American authorities. Capt. Whiting 
accepted, and learning that a receipt was required, 
gave one in due form. A word or two more 
were spoken and the Spaniard stepped over the 
side, signalled to his oarsmen, and in ten minutes 
was again upon the deck of his own vessel. Be- 
side the surrendering and receipting officers, I 
was the only witness of the ceremony. 
The Formal Transfer. 
" While the Spanish officer was courtesy 
itself, we were all impressed with the fact that 
the ceremony was lacking in dignity and that the 
Spaniards had purposely made that lack as con- 
spicuous as they dared. It appeared that the 
' Virginius ' was towed to Havana by the first- 
class man-of-war ' Isabella la Catholica,' the 
commander of which retired immediately and 
left the surrender to be made by the commander 
of the ' Favorita,' which had been in the vicinity of 
Bahia Honda for several months engaged in sur- 
veying duty. The surrender should have taken 
place either at Santiago de Cuba or at Havana, 
and a Spanish officer of like rank with Cap- 



178 CUBA. 

tain Whiting should have discharged the duty. 
A quick survey by our officers showed the 
'Virginius' to be in a most filthy condition. She 
was stripped of almost everything moveable save 
a few vermin, which haunted the mattresses and 
cushions in cabin and staterooms, and half a dozen 
casks of water. The decks were caked with dirt, 
and nuisances recently committed, combined with 
mold and decomposition, caused a foul stench in 
the forecastle and below the hatches. In the 
cabin, however, the odor of carbolic acid gave 
evidence that an attempt had been made to make 
that part of the vessel habitable for the temporary 
custodians of the ship. Our officers were reluc- 
tant to put the men into the dirty forecastle and 
stowed them away into hardly more agreeable 
quarters afforded by the staterooms of Ryan and 
his butchered companions. Some attempt seemed 
to have been made, as shown by the engineering 
survey, to repair the machinery, but a few hours* 
work put the engines in workable order. The 
ship was leaking considerably and the pumps had 
to be kept going constantly to keep the water 
down. After a few hours of hard work we got 
under way, but had only gone 200 yards when 
the engine suddenly refused to do duty, and it 
became necessary for the ' Despatch' to take us in 
tow. As we passed the fort at the entrance to 
the harbor the Spanish flag was rather defiantly 



CUBA. 179 

displayed by that antiquated apology for a forti- 
fication, and there was no salute for the American 
flag, either from the fort or the surrendering 
sloop of war. 

"We had a hard time that night — those of 
us who were aboard the 'Virginius.' It seemed 
hardly possible that we could keep afloat until 
morning. During the night the navy tug 'Fortune,' 
from Key West, met us and remained with the 
convoy. At noon the next day, when we were 
about thirty miles south-southeast of Dry Tor- 
tugas, the vessels separated, the 'Virginius' and 
'Despatch' going to Tortugas and the 'Fortune' 
returning, with me as a solitary passenger, to Key 
West, whence I had the honor of reporting the 
news to the Admiral and of sending an exclusive 
report of the surrender. 

"It was the general opinion among the naval 
officers that the ' Sania ' had endeavored to be- 
little the whole proceeding by smuggling the 
' Virginius ' out of Havana, by selecting an ob- 
scure harbor not a port of entry as the place of 
surrender and by turning the duty of surrender 
over to a surveying sloop, while the 'Tornado,' 
which made the capture, lay in the harbor of Ha- 
vana and the ' Isabella la Catholica,' which had 
been selected as convoy, steamed back to Havana 
under cover of the night. The American officers 
and American residents in Cuba and Key West 



l8o CUBA, 

agreed that our government ought to have re- 
quired that the ' Virginius ' should be surrend- 
ered with all the released prisoners on board 
either at Santiago de Cuba, where the 'Tornado' 
brought in her ill-gotten prey and where the in- 
human butcheries were committed, or in Havana 
where she was afterward taken in triumph and 
greeted with the cheers of the excited Spaniards 
over the humiliation of the Americans. 

" An attempt was made to take the 'Virgin- 
ius ' to some northern port, but the old hulk was 
not equal to the journey. On the way no pump- 
ing or caulking could stop her leaks, and she 
foundered in mid-ocean. The government had 
been puzzled to know what disposition to make 
of her, and there was great relief in official circles 
to know that she was out of the way. 

"The surrender of the surviving prisoners 
of the massacre took place in course of time at 
Santiago, owing more to British insistence than 
to our feeble representations. As to the fifty- 
three who were killed, Spain never gave us any 
real satisfaction. For a long time the Madrid 
government unblushingly denied that there had 
been any killing, and when forced to acknowledge 
the fact they put us off with preposterous excuses. 
' Butcher Burriel,' by whose orders the outrage 
was perpetrated, was considered at Madrid to 
have been justified by circumstances. It was 



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to 



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to 

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la 








Spanish Troops leaving Barcelona, Spain. 



CUBA. 183 

pretended that orders to suspend the execution 
of Ryan and his associates were * unfortunately' 
received too late, owing to interruption of tele- 
graph lines by the insurgents to whose broad and 
bleeding shoulders an attempt was thus made to 
shift the responsibility. There was a nominal 
repudiation of Burriel's act and a promise was 
made to inflict punishment upon ' those who have 
offended ;' but no punishment was inflicted upon 
anybody. The Spanish Government, with 
characteristic double dealing resorted to pro- 
crastination, prevarication and trickery, and thus 
gained time until new issues effaced in the 
American mind the memory of old wrongs 
unavenged. Instead of being degraded Burriel 
was promoted. Never to this day has there been 
any adequate atonement by Spain." 

How an Bngflisli Captain Prevented 
One Massacre. 

There is no doubt that all the rest of the 
" Virginius' " prisoners would have been butch- 
ered, had it not been for the prompt and decisive 
conduct of a British naval officer. This was Sir 
Lambton Lorraine, commander of the man-of- 
war " Niobe." As soon as he heard of the cap- 
ture of the " Virginius " he hastened with his ship 
to Santiago. He found that fifty-three men had 
already been put to death, and that the rest were 
in danger of a like fate. Immediately he had an 
11 



1 84 CUBA. 

interview with the Spanish commander and told 
him the butchery must stop. 

" But, Senor," protested the Spaniard, "what 
affair is it of yours ? There are no countrymen 
of yours among them. They are all dogs of 
Americans." 

That was a lie. There were Englishmen 
among them, though Sir Lambton Lorraine did 
not know it. But that made no difference to the 
gallant British captain. 

" I don't know whether there are any English- 
men among them or not," he said, " and I don't 
care. I forbid you to put another one of them 
to death." 

"But, Senor," returned the Spaniard, "permit 
me to observe that I take my orders from the 
Captain-General, and not from you." 

"Very good," replied the Britisher; "permit 
me also to observe, and to beg you to observe, 
that the 'Niobe' is lying in this harbor, with her 
guns double-shotted, and I am her commander. 
And, so help me God ! if you so much as harm 
a hair on the head of one of those prisoners, I 
will lay your town in ruins ! " 

That was his ultimatum, and he went back to 
his ship. The Spaniard looked at the " Niobe," 
and saw the big black muzzles of her guns 
trained squarely upon the city, and — there were 
no more prisoners massacred in Santiago. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



CLOSE OF THE TEN-YEARS* WAR — GENERAL CAMPOS* 
OWN STORY COMMUNICATION WITH THE IN- 
SURGENTS REBEL DISSENSIONS — SUSPENDING 

WARFARE PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE COMING 

TO THE POINT CAMPOS* MOTIVES INTERVIEW 

WITH GARCIA AN ANXIOUS MOMENT AT ZAN- 

JON THE TERMS ACCEPTED THE END AT 

LAST— A REVIEW OF THE SITUATION WHAT 

THE WAR MEANT HOW THE END WAS REACHED 

CAMPOS' APPEAL FOR JUSTICE — THE COST OF 
THE WAR. 



(f' 



EN years of fighting practically exhausted 
the Cubans. When General Martinez 
de Campos, a humane and merciful 
man and a man of integrity and honor, came to 
them with offers of peace, amnesty and reform, 
they attentively listened to and finally decided to 
accept his terms. A treaty was signed, by which 
certain liberties were granted by Spain to the 
Cubans, reforms in their administration prom- 
ised, and the freedom recognized of all the slaves 
who had fought in the Cuban army. This treaty 
was concluded by General Campos himself after 
considerable negotiations, and was undoubtedly 
effected because of the faith the Cubans had 

(185) 



1 86 CUBA. 

in that officer and their belief that his prom- 
ises would be fulfilled. General Campos' own 
account of the manner in which the negotiations 
were conducted and brought to a successful ter- 
mination may be found in the official report which 
he made to the King of Spain, from which the 
following passages are taken : 

General Campos' Own Story. 

" Finding myself on the 18th of December 
in the Sierra Maestra of Cuba, inspecting the 
encampments there, which have been so fatal to 
the fourth brigade of that division, on account of 
its hygienic conditions, I received a telegram from 
General D. Manuel Cassola, in which he informed 
me that the prisoner D. Esteban Duque de 
Estrada, some time ago liberated, had manifested 
to him the desire of some important leaders, and 
some members of the congress, to enter into 
negotiations with a view to peace. 

" Although at some distance from Cuba, I 
embarked that very night for Santa Cruz in order 
to speak with Estrada, to communicate with Cas- 
sola, to decide on the spot and for myself what 
would be proper. 

"I have reported the doings of Mr. Pope in 
the month of May, the distrust with which he 
inspired me, and my persuasion that he was an 
unprincipled adventurer. In spite of this I per- 
mitted him to go to the enemy's camp, because I 



CUBA. 



187 



was confident that with all his untrustworthiness, 
he would serve to open for us a way to relations 
which, if leading to nothing immediately, would 
bear fruit later. I was not mistaken in my reckon- 
ing ; those unofficial relations procured us the 
surrender of Don Estiban de Varona, with the 
permission, as he told me, of the then president, 
D. Tomas Estrada and the capture of the latter s 
kinsman, Duque de Estrada. 

Communicating 'with the Insurgents. 

"The moment Varona reached Manzanillo he 
put himself in communication with the leaders of 
those bands discouraged by fatigue, and at times 
by hunger, without resources, and who, desiring 
peace, did not dare to surrender, not only through 
fear of the treatment they might receive from us, 
but through distrust of each other. A few inter- 
views and an armistice, which in a narrow neutral 
ground permitted our soldiers to mix with the in- 
surgents, and the discovery by the latter in our 
troops not only the generous character of the 
Spanish army, but also how well the country peo- 
ple were treated in the towns, at last broke their 
resolution, and the desire of peace made itself so 
manifest that the leaders agreed to send a com- 
mittee to their government to try for it. 

"This committee obtained some guarantees 
from the president, but the irreconcilables were 
too strong for the government, and the committee 



1 88 CUBA. 

were subjected to the law which imposed the 
penalty of death on all who should treat with us 
except on the basis of independence. 

"In spite of the assurances which Varona 
gave me, I cherished no hope of result with 
Camuguey, that I believed that it was not yet 
time, that his presumption was not sufficiently 
humbled, but that I was confident that the greater 
part of the guerrilla parties of Manzanillo, and 
perhaps of Bayamo, would disband. 
Rebel Dissensions. 

"In spite of the obstacles which arose in the 
business, the result answered my expectations, 
though I will not conceal that the government of 
the insurgents, by its treatment of the committee, 
contributed not a little to deepen the dissensions 
that existed among them. But that act of brute 
violence met with a prompt chastisement in the 
capture of the president of the executive council, 
and the death of the speaker of the congress, 
which delayed more than forty days a meeting for 
the choice of a new one, and the very active pur- 
suit to which they were exposed, in spite of the 
rains which lasted longer than usual. The idea 
of peace introduced into their camp, which 
they had the baseness to attribute to me, 
though they asserted that I proposed it through 
weakness, began to take root among the masses, 
and the impulse from below upward reached the 



CUBA. 



189 



head, a natural result of assertions disproved by 
our pursuit. 

" This was the state of things when, on the 
2 1 st of December, I talked with Duque de 
Estrada, and not trusting in the method, although 
1 had no private or official letter to authorize my 
conduct, and even feared that another assassina- 
tion would make the negotiations abortive, I 
ordered operations to be suspended between the 
sea, the river Sevilla, and the roads from Santa 
Cruz to Hato Petrero, and from that point to 
Brazo ; that is a seventh part of the Center. 
This was a serious measure. I was conscious of 
the objections to it; nothing positive authorized 
me to give assurances that this neutrality would 
be respected. I knew that it would give an 
opportunity for attacks (on me) by many ; but if 
I wished to arrive at an understanding it was 
necessary to run the risk ; and I believe that, 
holding such a position and command as mine, it 
behooves not to consider the personal annoyances 
which may result from failure, but the benefit 
which may redound to our country from success. 
The loss would be all my own ; all the advantage 
my country's. 

Suspending: Warfare. 

" Concert and meeting and consequently 
agreement were impossible if our troops contin- 
ued operations. I fixed no period, but limited 



I9O CUBA. 

myself to declaring that the termination (of the 
armistice) should be announced three days be- 
forehand. I reserved to myself the right of 
lengthening or shortening it, because to keep 
fixing periods and then extending them is, in my 
opinion, discreditable and a kind of higgling un- 
worthy of soldiers. 

" I will not deny that I then expected that at 
the end of a few days they would tell me that 
they wished to treat on inadjnissible terms. I 
labored at that time under two mistakes : I be- 
lieved their number smaller and their presump- 
tion greater than it was. I had studied the pro 
and the con, as is commonly said. I was not 
neutralizing more than a small part of the war 
(three-hundredths), and it was accordingly prose- 
cuted with the greatest activity when the matter 
began to improve, and the soldiers to come out 
of the hospitals. In the neutralized territory the 
contract of the insurgents with our soldiers was 
most advantageous for us, because the meeting 
of the weak with the strong, of the hungry with 
him who has resources, of the naked with the 
clothed, of him who has no place of shelter, with 
him who has camps and sutlers' shops, cannot 
but weaken the resolution of the former. The 
courteous treatment which had been ordered was 
sure to underline the officers ; the news of the 
suspension of hostilities where the congress was, 



CUBA. 



191 



and the negotiations with it, must have a decided 
influence in other departments. 

P rogrress toward Peace. 

"What was lost, in case these conferences 
were broken off? On the part of the country 
nothing, and this is proved by the great number 
of surrenders which took place at this time. 
Much was gained for the future by dividing them ; 
the three tendencies of the hostile camp, peace, 
autonomy and independence, defined themselves ; 
for in moments of danger the most opposite wishes 
unite, and if a respite is given, they reappear 
again in greater strength. 

" So it happened here. In Sancti Spiritus 
some begged that the decision of the congress 
might be waited for, and I granted them a place 
of meeting, where I furnished them with supplies, 
and in that encampment cheers were given for 
peace and for Spain, and they embraced our 
officers. In Bayamo whole bands surrendered 
together ; in Holguin and in Tunas they avoided 
any fighting ; and in Cuba, Maceo made super- 
human efforts to raise their spirits, summoning all 
to the last soldier, and attacking with an energy 
and success worthy of a better cause ; but even 
in the midst of this desperate effort he did not 
wish to shut the door of the future, and, what he 
had not done for ten years, after a bloody advan- 
tage in which he kept possession of the field, he 



I92 CUBA. 

buries the dead, praises their valor, and sends 
back to us a few wounded, and prisoners who 
escaped the fury of the combat. 

"The desire to treat having been excited, 
and having told Estrada my own opinion concern- 
ing the island, and what I believed that of the 
government to be, judging by the private corres- 
pondence which was going on between me and the 
Minister of Ultramar, I went to Havana to in- 
form General Jovellar, to put myself in accord 
with him, and to hear his valuable counsels. That 
officer was, as he had been since the war began, 
in full agreement with me, and explained to me 
the embarrassed state of the treasury, the arrears 
of pay continually increasing, and the difficulties 
we should find ourselves in if the war was not 
ended before June. I made a tour of inspection 
through Las Villas and Sancti Spiritus, to see for 
myself the execution of my orders, and was satis- 
fied that nothing more could be asked of the 
army. Pancho Jimenez had attempted an effective 
stroke, but as he had not the means, the destruc- 
tion of part of his band, and the dispersion of 
the rest were the consequence. 

Coming to the Point. 

1 ' I returned to Principe to bring matters to a 
head, and because I thought there had been time 
to come to an understanding and to pass from a 
purely confidential character to a semi-official one/ 



CUBA. I93 

and having had an interview at Chorrillo with 
Messrs. Lauces and Roa, commissioned from the 
so-called commander-in-chief of the Centre, Goyo 
Benitez, to General Cassola, who by my orders 
had announced to him the renewal of hostilities 
on the 20th, I was able to satisfy myself of the 
well-nigh general desire to come to a definite 
result, and of the impossibility of it by reason of 
the dispersion of the bands, and above all because 
it was not yet known whether Vincente Garcia 
would accept the presidency, nor what his aspira- 
tions and projects were. Believing in their good 
faith, I appointed the 10th of February as the 
day before which terms must be proposed, and 
permitted a commissioner to start for Sancti 
Spiritus and another in search of Vincente Gar- 
cia, but I reduced the neutralized territory to 
about eight leagues square on the banks of the 
Sevilla, setting a cordon of posts and sentinels all 
around it. 

"In fixing on the 10th of February, I was 
thinking of the meeting of the Cortes on the 
15th, and wished to give definite news to the 
government of His Majesty, so that they could 
in the royal message parry the attacks of the op- 
position, and if they did not approve of my con- 
duct they could remove me from command, since 
I had neither consulted them nor given an account 
of the steps I had taken. 



194 CUBA. 

Campos' Motives. 

" The reasons I had for acting thus are 
three : Not to solicit from the government an au- 
thorization which could not be understandingly 
given at so great a distance ; second, to assume 
all responsibility myself, leaving them in entire 
freedom ; and third, not to give rise in Spain to 
hopes that might prove illusions. 

" Some time before the first steps had been 
taken toward a conference between Vincente 
Garcia and General Prendergast, but since the 
former had been chosen president of the execu- 
tive council, he thought that he could not be pres- 
ent at it, and sent his commissioners to Banchuelo 
(Tunas) , to which place the General came. There, 
after long debates, I being in direct communica- 
tion by telegraph, I answered all questions, and 
fixed as a limit the terms which I reported the 
same day, 30th of January, neutralizing the road 
between Tunas and the camp of the congress, so 
that messages and reports might pass, because we 
had unfortunately severely wounded their com- 
missioner, who bore my safe conduct, which pre- 
vented the order for meeting from reaching 
Vicente Garcia in time. 

Interview witb Garcia. 

" On the 5 th he asked for an interview with 
me, which could not take place on the 6th at San 
Fernando owing to a mistake ; and on the 7th he 



CUBA. I95 

came to see me, with seven other leaders and 
some of his officers, at Chorrilla. He presented 
himself in a very proper way, and I received him 
kindly, Generals Prendergast and Cassola being 
present at the conversation, which lasted seven 
hours. Those who took part in it manifested 
their desire for peace ; they agreed that though 
they might prolong the war it would be the ruin 
of the country (Cuba) ; that in their present con- 
dition they could not conquer ; that the happiness 
of Cuba was possible under the government of 
Spain ; that the terms were not ample enough ; 
and, above all, that the oath they had taken not 
to treat except on the basis of independence 
rendered all agreement null ; that there was no 
provision in their constitution for such a case, and 
it was necessary to appeal to the people. All 
our arguments were unable to convince them. 

" Vincente Garcia told me that, in order to 
facilitate a prompt pacification, he had that day 
come and taken the oath of office. The result was 
that I answered them that I did not make the 
terms more liberal because they had already 
received the sanction of the government ; that I 
could not extend the period without receiving at 
least a moral guarantee that, in case those of the 
East and of Villas did not agree, the majority of 
Camaguey would accept ; and we parted with the 
greatest courtesy. 



I96 CUBA. 

An Anxious Moment. 

"I cannot express the anxiety in which I 
was left. My presumption was that they were to 
be trusted ; that the reserve they had shown was 
due to the character of the natives of this country, 
and to their want of confidence in Spain, which 
cannot easily be effaced ; at the same time recog- 
nizing as one cause the oath they had taken, and 
the desire not to be accused of treachery by their 
companions, who still stood to their arms. 

" But these were nothing more than my pre- 
sumptions ; nothing more than my knowledge of 
the unfortunate state in which they were. There 
was the conviction that hatred of Spain was 
rapidly disappearing ; there was the certainty that 
the favorable movement came from below up- 
wards with a terrible pressure ; but after all there 
was nothing but conviction and faith in myself; 
there was not a proof nor a material fact to con- 
firm these ; and when I entered on this line of 
thought doubt took possession of my mind. 

" The question was most serious. Should 
they persist in their choice of a new government 
by popular election, and I in not conceding a 
longer delay, then the pacification would be post- 
poned, the war continued with the fury of 
despair, and I become an accomplice in the 
failure of peace. If, in virtue of my convictions, 
I conceded what they asked, a change of ideas 



CUBA. 



197 



might take place in the mass (of insurgents), and 
I should have lost a month and a half of opera- 
tions in the best season of the year, equivalent to 
more than three months in the rainy season, to 
3,000 soldiers killed, to $6,000,000 more spent, 
and to another effort on the part of Spain. 

At 2anjon, 

" On the morning of the 9th I removed to 
Zanjon, the point nearest the enemy's camp, and 
at twelve next day Messrs. Rosa and Lauces 
presented themselves with a letter from Vincente 
Garcia accrediting them in their mission. These 
gentlemen stated to me that the executive and 
congress having met, had informed themselves of 
the result of the interview we had held on the 
7th, and after a long discussion had agreed on 
the impolicy of continuing the war, and on the im- 
possibility of treating in which they found them- 
selves, because they were not empowered to do 
so, and it would be illegal ; that they were bound 
to give an account of the whole to the people ; 
but that, considering the pressure of circum- 
stances, they would resign and appeal to the 
people and troops gathered there ; that this took 
place, and that a committee of seven persons (five 
of them irreconcilables) was chosen by popular 
election in order that negotiations might go on. 
The committee discussed and modified my terms, 
and submitted the result to the people, who 



I98 CUBA. 

accepted it unanimously under condition that the 
States of the East and Center should be heard. 
The people being asked if they were for peace, 
answered almost unanimously in the affirmative. 
Asked afterward if the war should be continued 
in case Oriente or Villars would not accept peace, 
three-quarters were in favor of peace even then, 
and the other fourth for war. 

"In view of this I went on to discuss the 
questions, and, there being no difficulty except 
about the first, I consulted General Jovellar by 
telegraph, in the presence of the commissioners, 
and had the satisfaction of letting them see the 
identity of opinion of the two authorities. There 
remained the question of time to be allowed, 
which I proposed to leave to the government of 
his Majesty, and they returned to their camp to 
submit the modifications, 

The Terms Accepted. 

" While they were absent I reflected ma- 
turely, and resolved on my part to concede a 
delay until the end of the month. The consider- 
ations which moved me to this were my not wish- 
ing to compromise General Jovellar, because if, 
contrary to all appearances, there were a change, 
he would remain disposable to relieve me in com- 
mand if the government disapproved of my con- 
duct, or the opposition and public opinion pro- 
nounced against me in case of failure. I am not 




Captain- General Blanco. 




Battalion of Spanish Troops before the Governor- 
General's Palace, Havana. 



CUBA. 20 1 

considering as such the continuance in the field 
of Maceo, as I was then inclined to do, having 
heard of the capture of the convoy of Florida, 
with 12,000 percussion caps, a case of medicines, 
and some loads of tinned meat, with a loss to us 
of one officer and twenty-eight soldiers killed and 
five wounded, and of the defeat of a column of 
200 men of the regiments of Madrid and Asturias 
in Juan Mulato, with the loss, as was then be- 
lieved, of 100 men, though I know now it was 
not above fifty, and of the commander, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Cabezas. 

" The commissioners returned in the after- 
noon of the 10th with definite terms, which I ac- 
cepted, and a copy of which I enclose, and I at 
once granted the delay, and then to facilitate 
matters, without their asking it, I ordered the 
generals in command to suspend offensive hostili- 
ties in the whole territory of the war. 

''The insurgents desire peace so sincerely 
that the commissioners elected for each state are 
the most influential and intelligent persons in it : 
For Cuba, Major-General Maximo Gomez, Brig- 
adier-General Rafael Rodriquez, Major Enrique 
Callazo ; for Bayamo, Major Augustin Castel 
lanos, Ensign Jose Badraque ; for Las Villas, the 
deputies Spoturno and Marcos Garcia, Colonel 
Enrique Mola and Don Ramon Perez Trujillo; 
for Tunas and Holguin, Vincente Garcia. 

12 



202 CUBA. 

" These elections are guarantees of good 
faith. Concerning Sancti Spiritus and Villas, with 
the exception of the thirty men of Cecilio Gon- 
zalez, I harbor no doubt, only an outlaw or two 
and the runaway negroes will be left in the field, 
isolated, without flag and without arms; in 
Principe, possibly, a gathering or so of what are 
called planteados, who obey no one, and whom 
the very insurgents have almost exterminated. 
The End at I<ast. 

''In Bayamo the leaders who remain have 
given assurances that they will consult with the 
commissioners and are calling in their scattered 
followers. In Tunas and Holguin, Vincente Garcia 
has every kind of influence. In Cuba, Maceo 
respects only Maximo Gomez, and all affirm that 
he will obey the dispositions of his government. 
I am not confident but he will be left reduced to 
the last extremity without the bands of Edwardo 
Marinol, Limbano Sanchez, Martinez Freire, and 
Leite Vidal, and only a part of the people of his 
brother Antonio Maceo, Guellermon, and Crom- 
bet will follow him. In any event parties of 
banditti will remain in those mountains. 

u This is, in conclusion, a loose narrative of 
what has happened and of my present impressions 
and hopes. It only remains to set before you a 
sketch of the motives of my policy, and the reasons 
on which I have based my conduct in these sixteen 






CUBA. 203 

months. T have not always been right, but I have 
tried to correct my mistakes the moment I became 
aware of them. 

A Review of the Situation. 

" Since the year 1869, when I landed on this 
island with the first reinforcements, I was preoc- 
cupied with the idea that the insurrection here, 
though acknowledging as its cause the hatred of 
Spain, yet that this hatred was due to the causes 
that have separated our colonies from the mother 
country, augmented in the present case by the 
promises made to the Antilles at different times 
(1812-37 and '45), promises which not only have 
not been fulfilled, but, as I understand, have not 
been permitted to be so by the Cortes when at 
different times their execution had been begun. 

" While the island had no great development, 
its aspirations were confined by love of nation- 
ality and respect for authority; but when one day 
after another passed without hopes being satisfied, 
but, on the contrary, the greater freedom per- 
mitted now and then by a governor were more 
than cancelled by his successor; when they were 
convinced that the colony went on in the same 
way; when bad officials and a worse administration 
of justice more and more aggravated difficulties; 
when the provincial governorships, continually 
growing worse, fell at last into the hands of men 
without training or education, petty tyrants who 



204 CUBA. 

could practice their thefts and sometimes their 
oppressions, because of the distance at which they 
resided from the supreme authority, public opinion, 
until then restrained, began vehemently to desire 
those liberties which, if they bring much good, 
contain also some evil, and especially when applied 
to countries that have so peculiar a life of their 
own, and are without preparation for them. A 
people sometimes vehemently desires what is not 
best for it — the unknown — and when everything 
is denied, aspires to everything. So it happened 
here. I do not blame the captains-general nor 
the government of that epoch. They thought 
they were acting for the best ; but they were sep- 
arated from the people, and had about them only 
partisans of the status quo, and very few of 
progress, and even these, persons of heated imag- 
ination, but cautious, did not make manifest their 
ideas, and even applauded acts which were carry- 
ing the ship on the reef, like those inhabitants of 
England who kindled bonfires to attract ships. 
What the War Meant. 
"The ioth of October, 1868, came to open 
men's eyes ; the eruption of the volcano in which 
so many passions, so many hatreds, just and un- 
just, had been heaped up, was terrible, and almost 
at the outset the independence of Cuba was pro- 
claimed. The concessions which General Ler- 
sandi then made were of no avail ; the triumph 



CUBA. 205 

of Bayamo was not deadened by the heroic resis- 
tance of the garrisons of Tunas and Holguin ; 
the army was very small, and they believed vic- 
tory easy. Many Spaniards believed that auton- 
omy should be granted ; and who knows what 
might have followed if those masses had been 
well led, and had not quarreled with the natives 
of the Peninsula? 

"The certainty of triumph blinded them. 
In its turn public sentiment and patriotism were 
awakened in us, and the country was divided into 
two irreconcilable bands, extreme from the first, 
confiding the triumph of their cause to extermi- 
nation and the torch ; and although in these nine 
years there have been attempts at more humane 
systems, they have been of short duration. Pub- 
lic opinion was too strong for governments of 
whatever politics. Hardly was a governor-gen- 
eral appointed when they weakened his authority 
by allowing the press to speak of his dismissal ; 
and these officers, not feeling themselves sustained 
by the government, tried to find some support in 
a public opinion continually more and more over- 
excited, and there were times when the war was 
on the point of being victoriously ended, when a 
change of commander came to undo all that had 
been gained to make the insurgents understand 
that their constancy would save them ; and a seri- 
ous succession of feats of arms raised their spirits, 



206 CUBA. 

and by the advantage of ground and their familiar- 
ity with it, they defeated large columns with hardly 
a battalion of men. Hunger in the villages swelled 
the ranks of the enemy. They almost put us on 
the defensive, and as we had to guard an im- 
mense property, the mission of the army became 
very difficult. 

"The instability of governments in Spain, 
the cantonal war first, and the civil war afterward, 
encouraged our enemies, who began to doubt in 
proportion as the throne of Don Alfonso became 
firm, and when they found themselves shut up in 
villas and unable to carry out their project of 
extending the war to Matanzas and Cardenas. 
But public spirit had decayed, and the invasion of 
Spiritus and Villas marked a fatal period. It was 
our fortune that the military man who commanded 
against them had not, because a foreigner and 
because of his character, in spite of his courage, 
the sympathy of his subordinates, and that the 
battle of Palma Sola subdued his energy. But 
the war went on languidly for want of forces, 
public sentiment growing weaker, and the army 
remembering too well its reverses. The principal 
of authority was strengthened, and I believe that, 
with more resources, we should have triumphed 
in 1875 and 1876. 

"The insignificant affairs of the railway of 
Spiritus, the attack on Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila, 



CUBA. 



207 



and Moron made a great impression on public 
opinion, which saw in everything, with frightful 
exaggeration, to be sure, grave and irremediable 
evils, and the unfortunate carelessness at Victoria 
de las Tunas came to stamp the position of affairs 
at the very time when reinforcements and help 
were expected from the mother country. General 
Jovellar was the victim of events, and when per- 
haps he was about to grasp the laurel of his toils 
the government decided that I should come. 

" These, roughly sketched, are in my concep- 
tion the facts from 1868 to the end of 1876. 
How the End was Reached* 

" I have come now by slow stages to the 
question of the day, and perhaps some will ask 
how I offered the terms which I reported on the 
30th of January, and will add that better might 
have been obtained. 

"At present, I suppose so, but I understand 
by advantageous terms for the government what 
contributes to satisfy the desires and aspirations 
of the people ; I proposed the first condition, be- 
cause I believe they must fulfill it. I wish that 
the municipal law, the law of provincial assem- 
blies, and representation in the Cortes, should be 
established. For the present we will make use of 
the laws now in force, and then with the assistance 
of the deputies, modifications and arrangements 
can be made to complete them. Technical details 



208 CUBA. 

will be considered which are beyond my com- 
petence. The law of labor is to be settled, the 
question of labor supply, the necessary changes 
of property are to be studied, the fearful and un- 
sustainable problem of slavery is to be studied 
before foreign nations impose a solution of it upon 
us, the penal code is to be studied and the pro- 
vince of the courts defined, the form of contribu- 
tions and assessment of taxes determined, and 
some attention paid to schools and public works. 
All these problems whose solution concerns the 
people must be solved after hearing their repre- 
sentatives, not by the reports of Juntas, chosen 
through favoritism or for political reasons. They 
cannot be left to the will of the captain-general, 
the head of a department, or the colonial minis- 
ter, who generally, however competent, does not 
know the country. 

Campos' Appeal for Justice. 

"I do not wish to make a momentary peace. 
I desire that this peace be the beginning of a 
bond of common interests between Spain and her 
Cuban provinces, and that this bond be drawn 
continually closer by the identity of aspirations, 
and the good faith of both. 

''Let not the Cubans be considered as pa- 
riahs or minors, but put on an equality with other 
Spaniards in everything not inconsistent with 
their present condition. 



CUBA. 209 

" It was on the other hand impossible, accord- 
ing to my judgment and conscience, not to grant 
the first condition ; not to do it was to postpone 
indefinitely the fulfilment of a promise made in 
our present constitution. It was not possible that 
this island, richer, more populous, and more ad- 
vanced morally and materially than her sister, 
Porto Rico, should remain without the advantages 
and liberties long ago planted in the latter with 
good results, and the spirit of the age, and the 
decision of the country gradually to assimilate the 
colonies to the Peninsula, made it necessary to 
grant the promised reforms, which would have 
been already established and surely more amply 
if the abnormal state of things had not concen- 
trated all the attention of government on the 
extirpation of the evil which was devouring this 
rich province. 

" I did not make the last constitution ; I had 
no part in the discussion of it. It is now the 
law, and as such I respect it, and as such 
endeavor to apply it. But there was in it 
something conditional, which I think a danger, 
a motive of distrust, and I have wished that it 
might disappear. Nothing assures me that the 
present ministry will continue in power, and I 
do not know whether that which replaces it 
would believe the fit moment to have arrived 
for fulfilling the precept of the constitution. 



2IO CUBA. 

" I desire the peace of Spain, and tms will 
not be firm while there is war or disturbance 
in the richest jewel of her crown. Perhaps the 
insurgents would have accepted promises less 
liberal and more vague than those set forth in this 
condition ; but even had this been done, it would 
have been but a brief postponement, because 
those liberties are destined to come for the 
reasons already given, with the difference that 
Spain now shows herself generous and magnani- 
mous, satisfying just aspirations which she might 
deny, and a little later, probably very soon, would 
have been obliged to grant them, compelled by 
the force of ideas and of the age. 

" Moreover, she has promised over and over 
again to enter on the path of assimilation, and 
if the promise were more vague, even though 
the fulfillment of this promise were begun, 
these people would have the right to doubt 
our good faith and to show a distrust unfor- 
tunately warranted by the failings of human 
nature itself. 

"The not adding another 100,000 to the 
100,000 families that mourn their sons slain in 
this pitiless war, and the cry of peace that will re- 
sound in the hearts of the 80,000 mothers who 
have sons in Cuba, or liable to conscription, 
would be a full equivalent for the payment of a 
debt of justice/' 



CUBA. 2 1 1 

The Cost of the War. 

What the ten years of war cost the island 
and cost Spain can never be fully reckoned. In 
a debate on Cuban affairs in the Spanish Cortes 
in November, 1876, it was officially stated that in 
eight years Spain had sent to Cuba 145,000 sol- 
diers under the command of her ablest generals. 
The war is known to have cost Cuba more than 
45,000 lives. A considerable proportion of these 
were lost on the field of battle, but the majority 
of them were murdered in cold blood in prison. 
More than 13,000 estates belonging to Cubans 
were confiscated by the Spanish Government. 
Of these about 1000 belonged to women, whose 
only crime was that they sympathized with their 
struggling countrymen. The cost of the war in 
money has been estimated at nearly $1,000,- 
000,000. 

During the entire war a professor of lan- 
guages in Havana, who was an American of 
Cuban birth, systematically kept a record of the 
Cuban losses reported in the authorized publica- 
tions in Havana. He made it in great detail, 
giving the place and date of each engagement, the 
number of men on each side, and the Cuban 
losses in killed, wounded, prisoners, and horses. 
At the end of the war his totals were as follows : 
Cuban losses, 395,856 killed, 726,490 wounded, 
451,100 prisoners, and a little more than 800,000 



2 I 2 CUBA. 

horses killed or captured. Considering that the 
entire population of the island was only 1,250,000, 
the ability of the Spanish at lying was certainly 
extraordinary. According to their figures more 
Cubans were killed, wounded and captured 
than there were persons of all classes on the 
island. 

In curious contrast with this are the Spanish 
figures of their own losses. According to official 
records they lost 81,098 men, of whom only 6488 
died in battle or from wounds. In other words, 
according to their own statements, ninety-two per 
cent, of the Spanish losses were from fever, 
cholera and other diseases. There never was a 
time during the whole ten years when less than 
fourteen per cent, of the whole Spanish army was 
in hospitals. These Spanish figures, however, 
are known to be very much too low, though per- 
haps not as much too low as their statements of 
Cuban losses are too high. 




CHAPTER IX. 



BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION OF 1 895 — WHERE 
THE PLOT HATCHED FAMOUS MEN WHO ORGAN- 
IZED THE REBELLION — ARRIVAL OF THE LEADERS 

IN CUBA HOW GOMEZ REACHED CUBA CALLE- 

JAS' ATTEMPTS TO SECURE PEACE BY HEROIC MEAS- 
URES — THE FIRST SKIRMISHES IRONICAL GRAT- 
ITUDE SPREAD OF THE REBELLION. 




|N FEBRUARY 24th, 1895, the flag of 
the Cuban Republic was raised in the 
mountains of the province of Santiago 
in the eastern end of the island. 

This was the signal for the beginning of the 
sixth insurrection that has broken out in Cuba in 
the present century. 

The ten years' civil war in the island from 
1868 to 1878 was ended by Marshal Martinez 
Campos promising a number of reforms. These 
promises were not kept, and naturally widespread 
discontent ensued. 

During the last few years, three parties 
played important parts in the politics of the island. 
First, the Conservatives, or party of the Con- 
stitutional Union, who professed themselves satis- 

( 2I 3) 



214 



CUBA. 



fied with the existing state of things ; secondly, 
the Autonomists, or Liberal Reform party, having 
a Home Rule program ; and thirdly, the Republi- 
cans, or Separatists. 

Both the Conservatives and Home Rulers had 
been anxious to maintain the Spanish connection, 
fearing that Cuban independence would have one 
of two results, either that the island would be ex- 
ploited by American adventurers, or that, if left 
to itself, it would run the risk of becoming another 
Hayti, coming under the rule of the negroes, half- 
breeds and mulattoes, who form a large part of 
Cuba's population. 

So strong was this feeling, that had the 
Spanish Government kept its promises and had 
it made some concessions in the direction of home 
rule, it is highly probable that the revolution of 
1895 would never have taken place. 

But the local authorities, by imprisoning 
Autonomist leaders, drove many of the party into 
more or less active sympathy with insurgent 
patriots. 

Cuba's earlier revolutions were properly 
termed insurrections, for in many cases they were 
without the sympathy of the masses, and hence — 
hopeless from the start. But, in 1895, tne native 
Cubans allied themselves with the Liberal wing of 
the Spanish residents to make common cause 
against the domination of the Spanish monarchy. 



CUBA. 215 

This union of the Autonomists and Republi- 
cans was an association of two powerful parties, 
whose one aim was to free Cuba from the tyranny 
of a government that had made that unhappy 
country the fairest of promises and had broken 
those promises without the slightest regard for 
truth or honor. 

The united parties desired to make Cuba a 
Liberal Republic, which should make its own laws 
and treaties to suit its economic conditions, and 
to establish a government "of the people, by the 
people and for the people." 

Where the Plot -was Hatched. 

While the Autonomist and Republican forces 
in Cuba were being drawn together and amalga- 
mated by the power of a common wrong and a 
common spirit of patriotism, friends of Cuba 
Libre, in New York, were planning the initial 
steps of organized rebellion. 

Meetings were held, funds were raised and 
plans of campaign formulated in various cities of 
the United States, but it was in New York that 
the leaders of the revolution most often met, it 
was in New York that the Cuban Junta had its 
headquarters, and the order which led to the 
raising of the five-barred patriot flag in the 
mountains of Santiago was sent from New York. 

Cuban leaders in the United States, in 
league with sympathizers in Mexico and South 



21 6 CUBA. 

America and with the revolutionists in the island 

itself, had long been preparing for the events 

which resulted in the now celebrated flag-raising. 

Famous Men who Organized the Rebellion. 

The names of Marti and Gomez are indis- 
solubly connected with the beginning of the 
revolution. 

Jose Marti, who was made president of the 
party, was then about forty years old. His life 
history reads like that of some hero in fiction. 

At the time of the breaking out of the Ten 
Years' War, although he was then merely a boy 
of fifteen, he was sent to Spain for conspiring 
against the government. There he was kept 
confined in a dungeon until he was at the point 
of death, and was finally set free only on con- 
dition that he would remain in Spain for the rest 
of his life. He studied at Saragossa, and by the 
time he was twenty-one years old had received 
the highest degrees the University could bestow. 
When the Spanish Republic was proclaimed he 
left the country by the way of France and 
returned to the United States. The Cuban war 
was then nearly over. Nevertheless he went to 
Mexico and there prepared an expedition to aid 
his countrymen. It was a failure, but he escaped 
the clutches of the Spaniards and went to Central 
America as a University professor. 

After the restoration of peace in 1878 he 




Maximo Gomez, the Chief of the Insurrection. 




General Calixto Garcia. 



CUBA. 219 

returned to Cuba and was permitted to remain 
there for a time. The Spanish authorities pres- 
ently suspected him, however, of arousing the 
patriotic spirit of the Cubans, and accordingly 
sent him back to Spain. Again he escaped from 
the country and came to New York, where he 
attempted to organize, with Calixto Garcia, 
another revolt in 1879. That attempt was also a 
failure, but it did not discourage him. Since that 
time he has worked unceasingly for the cause. He 
was an author, a poet, and a newspaper man of 
high attainments. In 1891 he served as the rep- 
resentative of Uruguay at the International Mone- 
tary Conference at Washington. He also served 
as Consul at New York for various South Ameri- 
can countries, but when Spain complained that he 
was using his position to promote disaffection in 
Cuba, he resigned his office and devoted himself 
more exclusively to the Cuban cause. 

The treasurer of the Revolutionary party was 
Benjamin Guerra, a cigar manufacturer, who had 
been a Cuban patriot ever since his childhood. 

The secretary was Gonzales de Quesada, who 
had lived in New York since he was sixteen years 
old, and was a graduate of Columbia College. 

Maximo Gomez, of whom we shall hear 
much more, had been the commander of the 
eastern wing of the Cuban army in the revolution 
of 1868. 

13 



2 20 CUBA. 

Arrival of the Leaders in Cuba. 

During the first month of the rebellion of 
1895, the success of the movement was by no 
means assured. In fact, its continuance was due_ 
solely to the firmness, resolution and courage of 
the leaders in the field, notably Bartolome Masso 
and William Moncada. Although these men saw 
that the people did not respond to the call to 
arms as quickly as it had been thought they would, 
none of them would listen to any propositions 
favoring the abandonment of revolutionary plans. 

At the beginning of the war Moncada had 
charge of the forces in the eastern section of the 
island, including Guantanamo. 

Major-General Julio Sanguilly was in com- 
mand of the insurgent forces at Matanzas, near 
Ybarra, about sixty-six miles east of Havana, on 
the west end of the island. 

Soon after the first dispatches were received 
from Cuba announcing an uprising in Ybarra. 
other despatches arrived telling of trouble in 
Guantanamo. The fact that simultaneous insur- 
gent action occurred in parts of the island so 
widely separated as are these two points, proved 
conclusively tc all thoughtful people that Cuba 
was on the brink of another revolution. Still 
there were many who doubted the success of the 
movement.. 

On March 31st Gen. Antonio Maceo and his 



CUBA. 221 

brother Jose, with twenty-two others, landed at 
Duaba, near Baracoa, and as soon as they were 
able to join others already in arms, and the news 
of their arrival reached Santiago and other cities, 
the aspect of things began to change, and men 
who until then had hesitated to support the move- 
ment began to join the little army. 

On April 1 1 General Maximo Gomez and 
Jose Marti with two friends landed at the south- 
eastern extremity of Cuba, and having joined 
Maceo, a general plan was arranged whereby 
General Maceo was to remain in the Province of 
Santiago, and General Gomez was to proceed to 
Camaguey as General-in-Chief of the army. 

Before the landing of Generals Maceo and 
Gomez, the majority of those in arms were ne- 
groes, but immediately after the proportion of 
whites began to increase, and although in the 
Province of Santiago the negro element always 
preponderated in the rank and file, the great ma- 
jority of the officers were whites, while in Cama- 
guey, on the contrary, the army under Gomez, 
from the beginning, was composed chiefly of 
white men. 

How Gomez Reached Cuba. 

Captain Ronald Lamont, of the steamship 
' 'Indianapolis," from Central American waters, 
brought the first authentic account of the landing 
of General Gomez and party on the Cuban coast. 



2 2 2 CUBA. 

From authorities at the island of Inagua the 
Captain learned that Gomez and three other in- 
surgent leaders reached Cuba from this country 
by a round-about course, by way of Inagua, 
Jamaica and Hayti. At Inagua they purchased 
a fourteen-foot, four-oared keel boat, and, em- 
barking on the German steamer "Nostrand," slung 
their boat from the davits. Just at daybreak on 
April 10, when the steamer was two miles off 
Cape Maysi, General Gomez and the others of 
his party dropped their boat into the water and 
quietly landed on the Cuban coast. Thence they 
made their way through the bush to the interior, 
where they reached the main body of insurgents. 
It was known at Inagua that General Gomez had 
with him fully $50,000 in American gold. 

The insurgents knew the time and place of 
Maximo Gomez's landing, and Perequito Perez, 
at the head of 600 Cubans, met him soon after 
disembarkation at Rio Sabana la Mar, about 
thirty miles east of Guantanamo, on the south 
coast. The "CondedeVenadito" failed to intercept 
the insurgents on the sea, and 1,000 Spanish 
troops failed to head them off on the land. 

Particulars about the sinking of a British 
schooner off the coast of Cuba by the Spanish 
warship "Conde de Venadito" were also gathered 
by Captain Lamont from the Inaguan authorities. 
It appears that twenty-five Cuban insurgent 



CUBA. 2 23 

sympathizers, exiled in Central America, took 
passage on the Atlas steamer " Adirondack" for 
Long Key, on Fortune Island. At Long Key 
they succeeded through the American consular 
agent, Mr. Farrington, in buying a small schooner 
for $1,500. One of the conditions of the pur- 
chase was that Mr. Farrington should allow his 
crew and officers to remain on board, their wages 
to be the same as those paid by Mr. Farrington. 
The new owners cleared for Inagua. Instead of 
allowing the captain to proceed to Inagua, they 
compelled him to steer for Cuba, and they landed 
at a point on the Cuban coast near Baracoa. 
Then they told the captain to return to Inagua, 
or wherever he cared to go. 

Calleja's Attempts to Secure Peace by Heroic 
Measures. 

When the insurrection began, the Governor 
of the island was General Calleja, a Spaniard, who 
had been in Cuba since 1873. He is said to have 
been in favor of conciliation, but was hope- 
lessly hampered by Spanish officials at Havana. 

It was originally planned to raise the Cuban 
flag on the twenty-second of February, the anni- 
versary of Washington's birthday, being deemed 
a fitting occasion for the actual beginning of the 
insurrection. Owing to various delays and dis- 
appointments, however, the raising of the stand- 
ard was postponed till February twenty-fourth. 



2 24 CUBA. 

As soon as news of the uprising reached 
Governor-General Calleja, he issued a proclama- 
tion suspending constitutional guarantees. He 
also put in effect the " Public Order Law," a law 
which provides for the immediate punishment of 
anybody taken in a seditious act. 

At a special cabinet meeting, called to con- 
sider Cuban affairs, on the evening of February 
twenty-fifth, in Madrid, Senor Abarzuza, Spain's 
Minister of Colonies, authorized Calleja to pro- 
claim martial law in Cuba. 

The forces at Calleja' s disposal were six 
regiments of infantry, three of cavalry, two 
battalions of garrison artillery, and a mountain 
battery. These numbered nearly 20,000 men, 
besides some 14,000 local militia, or over 30,000 
men in all. But it is only fair to Calleja to add 
that when he returned to Madrid in May he 
declared that half the regular forces existed only 
on paper, and that the militia were not reliable. 
He was weak in artillery, but that did not so 
much matter, as the insurgents had none. He 
had the great advantage of holding all the large 
coast towns, with the help of forts, some of them 
dating from early Spanish days, but all of them 
strong enough to resist an irregular attack. He 
had also a squadron of five cruisers and six 
gunboats with which to further protect the coast 
towns, cut off supplies coming to the rebels from 



CUBA, 2 25 

abroad, and secure the safe transport of his 
troops to any point on the long coast line that 
might be chosen as a base of operations. With 
all these advantages it might have been expected 
that with even 10,000 regulars he would have 
been able to deal with an insurrection in one 
corner of the island. But he failed to crush, or, 
rather, hunt down the bands in the Santiago 
province, and early in March he reported to 
Madrid that he could not hold his own unless 
both the army and navy were largely reinforced. 
The First Skirmishes. 
The first encounter between the Spanish 
army and the Cuban forces took place in the 
Province of Santiago, at Los Negros. The 
Cubans were led by Jesus Rabi, now a Brigadier- 
General. In this battle the Cubans, although 
very poorly armed, routed the Spanish forces. 
The second encounter was at El Guanabano, the 
Spaniards being commanded by Santocildes and 
the Cubans by Gen. Masso. The Spaniards were 
again routed, with the loss of 206 men. The 
Cuban loss was thirty-five. The next important 
move made by the Cubans was the simultaneous 
attacks on the villages El Cristo and El Caney 
and on a railroad train carrying arms and 
ammunition. Both villages were captured by the 
Cubans and the barracks were destroyed. The 
train was also captured, together with 200 rifles 



2 26 CUBA. 

and 40,000 cartridges. These operations were 
directed by Gen. Maceo. Next came the attack 
on and capture of the fort of Ramon de las 
Yaguas, where the Cubans took possession of 
150 rifles and 30,000 cartridges. Shortly after 
they attacked and captured the small port of 
Campechuela, which they held for two or three 
days. 

On March 27, the Queen Regent of Spain 
received the resignation of General Calleja. A 
Cabinet meeting was called to consider the situa- 
tion ; the Queen Regent presided. Martinez 
Campos was selected as Calleja's successor and 
he accepted the commission to go to Cuba at the 
head of reinforcements. He declared that as 
soon as he landed on the island he would pro- 
ceed with operations designed to put down the 
revolt at once. Subsequent events proved that 
his intentions were better than his powers of ful- 
filment. 

Ironical Gratitude. 

On April 15 the former Governor-General 
of Cuba, General Calleja, received from Madrid 
an official dispatch in which the Queen Regent 
and her Government tendered him their thanks 
for "the activity, zeal and ability with which he 
had directed military operations." Warm thanks 
were also extended for the bravery displayed by 
the army, the navy and the volunteers. 



CUBA. 2 27 

At the same time, Calleja was ordered to 
return home on the first steamer sailing from 
Havana after General Martinez Campos' arrival 
there, The abruptness of his recall caused much 
comment. It was understood that the Govern- 
ment held him to blame for allowing the insur- 
gents to organize so effectively, but they did not 
choose to admit publicly that he had weakened 
their position by his incompetency, hence the 
dispatch of thanks, which presented so forcible a 
contradiction to the natural inferences drawn 
from his hasty recall. 

While these events were taking place in 
governmental circles, news of fresh insurgent 
victories were being received daily. 

Spread of the Rebellion. 

On April 14th there was a large uprising in 
the province of Puerto Principe. Laborers, sugar- 
field hands and others took up arms for the cause. 

But a month earlier than this two important 
battles had been fought, one at Bayamo and one 
at Holguin. Colonel Santacildes was in com- 
mand of the Spanish forces, and Masso of the 
Cuban, at the former place ; and at the latter, 
Garrich was in command of the Spanish, and 
Mario of the Cuban force. The insurgents were 
successful, and had -not reinforcements arrived, 
the Spanish leader and his troops would have 
fallen into their hands. 



CHAPTER X. 



THE PATRIOTS TOO MUCH FOR CAMPOS ATTITUDE 

OF OTHER COUNTRIES THE INSURGENTS ORGAN- 
IZE WHO THE LEADERS WERE BATTLE OF SAO 

DEL INDIO BATTLE OF PERALEJO A SPANISH 

FORCE WIPED OUT. 




ARLY IN MAY, 1895, the insurgent 
leaders began to feel greatly elated 
over the progress of the insurrection. 

More had been accomplished in the one 
preceding month than in the first five years of the 
war of 1868. 

The patriots in Puerto Principe had more 
men, more arms, more horses and better facilities 
for obtaining subsistence than they had at any 
time in the ten years* war. 

They had forests in their rear, impenetrable 
to the Spanish troops, and they had mountain re- 
treats where 100 men could hold their own 
against 1,000. Maceo's plan was not to risk 
open battle, but to fall on the Spaniards from 
ambush, or exhaust them with forced marches. 
All the efforts of the Spaniards to deliver a telling 
blow at the head of the rebellion here were futile^ 
and the number of insurgents in the field had 

(228) 



CUBA. 2 29 

doubled in three weeks. When Martinez Campos 
arrived from Spain there were about 3,000 in- 
surgents under arms. There were now over 
6,000, and the latest acquisitions had a larger 
proportion of white men than was the case 
at first. 

Attitude of Other Countries. 

In other countries the neutrality laws were 
being closely followed. 

Great Britain issued imperative orders that 
the strictest neutrality should be observed. In all 
West Indian ports the closest watch was kept. 
Captains of British men-of-war were on the look- 
out for expeditions. 

The United States Government issued simi- 
lar orders. Nevertheless expedition after ex- 
pedition was organized, many of which reached 
Cuba in safety. In one case, a report came from 
a trustworthy source that while the Spanish ship 
" Infanta Isabel " was detained in quarantine, at 
Tampa, Florida, a filibustering expedition left 
Key West for Cuba. 

The Insurgents Organize. 

On October 1st, it became generally known 
that the insurgents had taken a most important 
step in the foundation of a provisional govern- 
ment. The independence of the island of Cuba 
was solemnly declared on September *i 9th, at 
Anton, Puerto Principe province. 



23O CUBA. 

A revolutionary government was organized 
and the fundamental laws of the republic of Cuba 
were formally proclaimed. 

The government was constituted in the fol- 
lowing manner : 

President, Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, of 
Puerto Principe ; Vice-President, Bartolome Maso, 
of Manzanillo ; Secretary of War, Carlos Roloff, 
of Santa Clara ; Vice-Secretary of War, Mario 
Menocal, of Matanzas ; Secretary of Foreign 
Relations, Rafael Portuondo y Tamayo, of Santi- 
ago de Cuba ; Vice-Secretary of Foreign Rela- 
tions, Fermin Valdis Dominguez, of Havana ; 
Secretary of Finance, Severo Pina, of Sancti 
Spiritus ; Vice-Secretary of Finance, Joaquin 
Castillo Duany, of Santiago de Cuba ; Secretary 
of the Interior, Santiago Canizares, of Rem- 
edios ; Vice-Secretary of the Interior, Carlos 
Du Bois, of Baracoa ; General-in-Chief, Maximo 
Gomez ; Lieutenant-General, Antonio Maceo. 

Jose Maceo, Maso, Capote, Serafin Sanchez 
and Rodrigues were appointed majors-general. 
Jose Maceo to lead the operations in Baracoa, 
Guantanamo, Mayari and Santiago de Cuba ; 
Maso in Manzanillo, Bayamo and Holguin ; San- 
chez in the Villas, and Rodriguez in Camaguey. 

The headquarters of the new government 
were established in Puerto Principe province, and 
a systematic government was to be maintained. 



CUBA. 231 

'Who the Leaders 'Were. 

The Spanish Government had taken great 
pains to convince the world, and especially the 
people of this country, that the Cuban revolution- 
ary forces consisted only of some ignorant ne- 
groes, a few white people of the lowest class of 
society, some bandits and a few foreign adven- 
turers. That such was not the case, that it was 
not a movement in which only the lower classes 
of the Cuban people were taking an active part, 
but an uprising supported by the whole Cuban 
population, a few facts will show. 

The President was the ex-Marquis of Santa 
Lucia of Puerto Principe, a member of one of the 
most distinguished families of the island for social 
rank, wealth and talents. During the last seventy- 
five years you will find more than one Cisneros 
and more than one Betancourt who has attained 
distinction as lawyer, journalist, civil engineer 
botanist and also in other departments of science 
and art. The ex-Marquis of Santa Lucia, now 
President of the Republic, formally renounced his 
title of nobility when he joined the revolution in 
1868, and lost his estates, which were then con- 
fiscated by the Spanish Government. An insig- 
nificant part of them was turned over to him after 
the peace of 1878. 

Bartolome Maso, the vice-president, a native 
of Manzanillo, was a tried patriot, who has 



232 CUBA. 

rendered valuable services to the cause. A sin- 
cere republican, he has always been highly 
respected and esteemed for his liberal ideas and 
his sterling character. 

Gen. Carlos Roloff, Secretary of War, was 
born in Poland, but came to Cuba when a mere 
youth and established himself at Cienfuegos, 
where he attained quite a distinguished position 
for his intelligence, industry and integrity. In 
1869, at the head of quite a number of young 
men from the most prominent families of the 
city, he joined the revolution, and until the end 
of the war in 1878 occupied the first rank, both 
for his bravery and his military talents. 

The Assistant Secretary of War, Mario 
Menocal, belonged to one of the best families of 
Matanzas, and is a relative of one of the mem- 
bers of the Corps of Civil Engineers of the 
United States whose name is so well known in 
connection with the Nicaragua Canal. 

Rafael Portuondo y Tamayo, Secretary of 
Foreign Affairs, was a distinguished member of 
one of the most prominent families of Santiago de 
Cuba, both for social rank and wealth, no less 
than for the talents of some of the individuals be- 
longing to it, who have distinguished themselves 
in the liberal professions. 

Fermin Valdes Dominguez, Assistant Sec- 
retary of Foreign Affairs, was a well-known 



CUBA. 233 

physician of Havana, who, when the students of 
the university of that city, his companions, were 
butchered by the volunteers, was sent to the 
penal colony of Ceuta, and was set at liberty 
after the peace. 

Severo Pina, Secretary of the Treasury, was 
a prominent citizen of Sancti Spiritus. He be- 
longed to an old and wealthy family. Joaquin 
Castillo Duany, Assistant Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, was a gentleman not unknown in this coun- 
try, having been one of the physicians who took 
part in the Jeannette Relief Expedition to the 
North Pole. No names stand higher in Santiago 
de Cuba for wealth and respectability than those 
of Duany and Castillo. Santiago Canizares, 
Secretary of the Interior, was a prominent citizen 
of Remedios. 

The General-in-Chief, Maximo Gomez, al- 
though born in Santo Domingo, was as much a 
Cuban in feelings, ideas, and aspirations as the 
best of them. As to his military talents we need 
say nothing, for they are too well known. 

Antonio Maceo, the Lieutenant-General, 
was a colored man ; a perfect gentleman, and a 
man of more than common attainments, which he 
owed to his own efforts. He was in the fullest 
sense of the term a self-made man of uncommon 
intellectual powers and of most sterling character. 
He fought during the ten years' war, and was 



234 CUBA. 

successively promoted for his bravery and remark- 
able military abilities from a common soldier to a 
Major-General. As a proof of the former he can 
show in his body twenty-one wounds by bullet and 
by sword, while in support of the latter he can 
refer to the many times that he has routed the 
Spanish troops, even under the command of Gen. 
Martinez Campos himself, and to the testimony 
of this latter and of Gen. Mella, who have been 
compelled to acknowledge the merit of Maceo as 
a tactician. 

Battle of Sao del Indio. 

Thus about this time came accounts of an 
important action which had taken place in August 
at a place known as Sao del Indio, half way 
between Santiago and Guantanamo. Colonel 
Canellas, with a force of 850 men, attacked the 
camp of Jose Maceo, where the latter had been 
stationed with about 2000 insurgents for the past 
two months. Approaching the insurgent camp, 
Colonel Canellas sent forward a reconnoitering 
party of twenty-four cavalry. The centre was 
under the charge of the commanding officer — 
Captain Garrido, with 300 men, being detailed to 
attack the enemy's position — whilst the command 
of the rear guard was in the hands of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Segura. The reconnoitering party came 
suddenly on the insurgent outposts, and a well- 
directed volley from the rebels killed all the horses 












'i 



■ 



#£-- 
t 



;i>-. 



^ I 



CUBA. 237 

but one, and wounded six of the men. The party 
at once formed up on foot and opened a return 
fire, the main body of the troops meanwhile mov- 
ing up with all speed. 

After desultory firing for some time, a light 
field-gun was brought into action and threw 
twenty-four shells into the insurgent encampment, 
creating considerable confusion. Captain Garrido 
then moved forward and assaulted the positions 
held by the insurgents to the left and rear of the 
camp, and after severe resistance forced the 
rebels to retreat. While this was going on the 
insurgent cavalry made a detour and charged the 
Spanish rear-guard, approaching within twenty 
yards of the troops, but were driven back by the 
heavy musketry fire. Seeing the enemy dis- 
lodged from their positions to the left and rear of 
the camp, Colonel Canellas ordered the centre to 
fix bayonets and charge up to the camp. This 
was successfully carried, but an officer and several 
men were killed by the explosion of a mine before 
the camp was reached. The insurgents then re- 
treated, leaving thirty-six men dead on the field, 
whilst Colonel Canellas reported they carried 
away not less than eighty wounded. The losses 
on the Spanish side were severe. They were 
officially returned as one lieutenant and eleven 
men killed, and four captains, four lieutenants, 
and thirty-nine non-commissioned officers and 
14 



238 CUBA. 

men wounded. Colonel Canellas was slightly 
wounded in the left foot, and had his horse killed 
under him, whilst his chief of staff also lost his 
horse. The artillery officer, Captain Gonzalez Go- 
mez, was severely wounded when changing the po- 
sition of his guns towards the close of the action, 
and he died from the effects of his wound. Lieu- 
tenant Ruiz, another of the wounded officers, 
suffered amputation of the right leg. 
Battle of Peralejo. 

Another important encounter was that oi 
Yuraguanas, where the Spaniards were routed, 
leaving on the field seventy-seven dead and much 
arms, ammunition and baggage. After some 
other minor encounters the important battle of 
Peralejo was fought. The Spaniards were com- 
manded by General Campos himself and the 
Cubans by General Maceo. The former were 
utterly routed, losing over 400 men, among them 
one of their generals. Martinez Campos himself 
came very near falling into the hands of the 
Cubans. Next came the capture of Baire by the 
Cubans, afterwards the battle of Decanso del 
Muerto, the Spaniards suffering heavily and aban- 
doned their arms, ammunition and baggage. 

The accessions during August and Septem- 
ber to the army under Gomez in Camaguey and 
to that in Santa Clara, commanded by Roloff, 
Sanchez and Rodriguez, encouraged General 



CUBA. 239 

Gomez to plan an important movement toward 
the west. He announced that by Christmas he 
would be with his army near Matanzas and Ha- 
vana. At the same time he issued an order to 
all the planters of Santa Clara, Matanzas and 
Havana that they must not grind sugar-cane this 
year. General Martinez Campos replied that the 
sugar crop would certainly be harvested this year, 
and that he would see to it, promising that by 
December there would not be a single rebel left 
in Santa Clara province. 

A Spanish Force 'Wiped Out. 
A terrible combat took place on December 
9th, at Minas, in Puerto Principe, between eighty 
Spanish troops, under Gruesa, and a party of 
rebels numbering 500 men commanded by Lopez 
Recio and Rodriguez. The struggle was a 
sanguinary one, the rebels using machetes with 
terrible effect. The superior force of the enemy 
rendered a victory for the troops impossible. Of 
the Spanish force twenty-three were killed, eight 
wounded, eighteen were taken prisoners and 
fourteen missing. Among the rebels killed were 
Oscar Primelles, Eugenio Recio and Angel Espi- 
nosa. Commandante Caballeros was wounded. 
After the combat Lopez Recio sent the mounted 
troops to the Senado plantation. On the day fol- 
lowing the fight the Spanish prisoners were set 
at liberty by their captors. 



CHAPTER XL 



THE NEWS IN CUBA THE NEW COMMANDER 

WEYLER's ARRIVAL FIRST WORDS TO CUBA 

NO NEUTRALITY NON-COMBATANTS MENACED 

CALL FOR SURRENDER TO END THE WAR IN 

THIRTY DAYS THE TELEGRAPH LINES WEY- 

LER'S PROCLAMATIONS MUST PRAISE SPAIN 

PASSPORTS AND CREDENTIALS STORES TO BE 

SEIZED FATE OF PRISONERS MORE TROOPS FOR 

WEYLER THE MASSACRE OF GUATAO PRIS- 
ONERS KILLED VERY NEAR HAVANA THE 

TOWNS DESERTED WEYLER CALLS A HALT 

POWERS OF LIFE AND DEATH — MORE PROCLAM- 
ATIONS FOR EXTERMINATION FIFTEEN DAYS' 

GRACE THREATS OFFER OF AMNESTY TO RE- 
PORT ON THE SUSPECTS APPEAL FOR RECOGNI- 
TION A LONG DEBATE ACTION OF CONGRESS. 



@[' 



HE NEWS that the Spanish Government 
had decided to withdraw General Campos 
from Cuba was announced in a telegram 
from Madrid, on January 17th, 1896. It said: 

" Independently of the military action, the Gov- 
ernment has authorized Marshal Campos to re- 
sign his command to General Marin and return 
to Spain, in consequence of the conduct of the 
political parties of Cuba, contrary to the policy of 
the Commander-in-Chief, asking a change in the 
system of conducting the war." 

(240) 



CUBA. 24I 

This news aroused much interest both in 
this country and in Cuba. At Havana a meeting 
of generals was immediately held at the palace of 
the Captain-General, at which Marshal Campos 
announced that he had telegraphed to the govern- 
ment at Madrid stating the result of his con- 
ference with the leaders of the political parties, 
and signifying his intention to abide loyally by 
any decision the Cabinet might make in the matter. 
To this dispatch, he said, he had received a reply 
advising him, in view of the conditions existing, to 
turn over the civil and military government of 
the island to Generals Marin and Pando. This 
he had done so far as was possible, General 
Pando being in Santiago de Cuba. General 
Marin had taken over the government tempo- 
rarily, and his responsibility would be shared by 
General Pando shortly. 

The News in Cuba. 

The news that Marshal Campos had 
practically been relieved of his command caused 
little excitement in the city. The matter was 
discussed in the cafes, restaurants and hotel 
lobbies, where people gather at night, but there 
were no signs of alarm displayed. There were 
many Spaniards who believed that General Cam- 
pos had been altogether too lenient in his treat- 
ment of the rebels, and they clamored for a more 
vigorous policy. The men who were to have 



242 CUBA. 

temporary charge of the civil and military 
branches of the Government were known to 
believe in policy that would give no mercy to 
those who were in arms against the King, and it 
was expected that vigorous measures would be 
taken to suppress the insurrection. 

The New Commander, 
The successor of General Campos chosen by 
the Spanish Government was General Weyler, 
who had been known in the Ten Years' War as 
"Valmaceda's assistant butcher." He had a rep- 
utation for the utmost cruelty and ferocity, and 
his appointment was interpreted as meaning that 
a reign of terror would forthwith be established 
in Cuba. "Most men," says Mr. Rappleye, a 
newspaper correspondent who met him in Havana, 
" resemble their reputations, and if a life famously 
spent is in the mind of one who visits a character 
of world-wide repute, he quite naturally discovers 
peculiarities of facial expression and physique 
which appear to account for the individuality of 
the man — fighter, philosopher, criminal, reformer 
or whatever he may be. All this is true of Gen. 
Weyler. He is one of those men who create a 
first impression, the first sight of whom never can 
be effaced from the mind, by whose presence the 
most careless observer is impressed instantly, and 
yet, taken altogether, he is a man in whom the 
elements of greatness are concealed under a 



CUBA. 243 

cloak of impenetrable obscurity. Inferior phys- 
ically, unsoldierly in bearing, exhibiting no trace 
of refined sensibilities nor pleasure in the gentle 
associations that others live for, or at least seek as 
diversions, he is nevertheless the embodiment of 
mental acuteness, crafty, unscrupulous, fearless 
and of indomitable perseverance. 
Weyler's Arrival. 

Weyler arrived at Havana on February 10, 
1896. The Spanish cruiser Alfonso XIII. arrived 
off Morro Castle at 9 that morning, and at 10 
entered the harbor. She was saluted by the 
Morro guns, and by thunders of artillery from 
the Cabanas fortress, and the flags of the ships 
in the harbor dipped a welcome. With the new 
Captain-General came Gens. Barges, Arolas and 
the Marquis de Ahumada, who had been des- 
ignated second in command. When Weyler 
disembarked about noon, the civil and military 
officials escorted him to the palace through streets 
lined with people and the city was decorated with 
flags, flowers and red blankets. 

Gen. Weyler went on foot to the palace. 
He took the oath of office, and then he received 
the leading citizens, some grandees of Spain, 
heads of commercial bodies, leaders of political 
parties and the foreign consuls. The Plaza de 
Armas, near the palace, was packed with men, 
women and children, who shouted, while bands of 



244 CUBA. 

music played. The weather was delightful and 
the populace delighted — apparently. It is a great 
day — for Weyler. 

The prospect for the new commander-in-chief 
of the Spanish army in Cuba fulfilling the destiny 
which had been manufactured for him in Spain 
was, however, worse than at any time since the 
war for independence began. The fiasco of the 
Captain-General pro tern, in his ten days' expedi- 
tion undertaken with the avowed object of run- 
ning down Gomez was complete and abject. 
Gen. Marin got back to Havana the day before 
Weyler landed. His little campaign had been a 
complete failure. It had, indeed, been marked 
by more disasters than the Spanish army had 
suffered during an equal number of days since 
the war began. 

First Words to Cuba. 

On landing Weyler made a brief address to 
the soldiers about him, saying significantly, "You 
know me, and my record. Well, I propose to live 
up to my record." The next day he issued a 
formal address to the Spanish army in Cuba, in 
which he said the following : 

"The addresses which I made, at the 
moment of my disembarking, to the volunteers 
and men of the army and navy, will give you 
an idea of the spirit and policy animating your 
Governor-General, and similarly the direction of 



CUBA. 245 

general opinion in Spain favoring the bringing of 
all necessary means to bear upon the suppression 
of the insurrection. Knowing these and knowing 
my character, I would add nothing else to recom- 
mend the line of conduct which you may follow. 

"But I think it convenient to add some 
instructions at present, and to state that the in- 
surrection and the recent march of the principal 
leaders thereof without its being possible for the 
Spanish columns to prevent it, indicates indiffer- 
ence on the part of the inhabitants and also fear 
and discouragement. I cannot understand their 
inactivity while their property is being destroyed. 
Spaniards cannot sympathize with insurgents. 
It is necessary, at any cost, to oppose this state 
of things and reanimate the spirit of the inhabi- 
tants. 

No Neutrality. 

"I have come disposed to help all loyal citizens. 
I am at the same time disposed to make use of 
all the rigor of the law against those who in any 
form help the enemy, speak well of them or dis- 
credit the prestige of Spain, of its army or vol- 
unteers. All who are with our side must demon- 
strate the fact with acts, and leave in their attitude 
no place for doubt in proving that they are 
Spaniards. Because the defense of the country 
demands sacrifices, it is necessary that towns 
should establish their own defenses. They 



246 CUBA. 

should not fail to provide guides for the army, 
and to give news of the enemy when they are in 
the vicinity. 

" The case should not be repeated that the 
enemy be better informed than ourselves. The 
enemy and the vigor which they employ should 
serve as an example to show us the line of con- 
duct which we must follow in all circumstances. 
Non-combatants Menaced. 

"You will detain and put at my disposal, or 
submit to the tribunals, those who, in any way 
I have described, show help or sympathy for the 
rebels. I promise myself that you, by fulfilling 
these instructions, will give valuable help to the 
good of the Spanish cause." 

Call for Surrender. 

In the proclamation to the inhabitants of 
Cuba Gen. Weyler said : 

"I take charge with the confidence which 
never abandons the cause of preserving the 
island for Spain. I shall be always generous 
with those who surrender, but will have the de- 
cision and energy to punish rigorously those who 
in any way help the enemy. 

"Without having in mind any political mis- 
sion, I would not oppose the government of his 
Majesty when in its wisdom, having peace in 
Cuba, it should think it convenient to give 
this country reforms with the same spirit of 



CUBA. 247 

love in which a mother gives all things to her 
children. 

" Inhabitants of the island of Cuba, lend 
me your help. So you will defend your interests, 
which are the interests of the country." 

To End the War in Thirty Days. 

General Weyler announced, and perhaps ex- 
pected, that he would end the war in thirty days. 
On February 15, he told a delegation of sugar- 
planters who called upon him that by March 1 5 
he would have order and peace restored, so that 
the planters could begin grinding cane in safety. 
If successful, thirty days' grinding would be pos- 
sible, and with the improved machinery generally 
in use all the cane standing could be saved. As 
the rebels had burned 20 per cent, of the crop, 
General Weyler' s promise was practically that 
$45,000,000 worth of sugar was to be saved, and 
that prosperity was to return to Cuba at the end 
of one more month. 

Gomez and Maceo meantime announced 
their intention of remaining in the vicinity of 
Havana all summer. The wet season had no 
terrors for them. The other provinces outside of 
Havana were entirely under control, and the new 
government was established everywhere except 
in the few cities held by the Spanish. The seat 
of operations naturally was near Havana, and the 
insurgent forces were so near the city that one 



248 CUBA. 

morning a detachment of twenty took a position 
on the main road leading into Havana from the 
west, only three miles from the city, and held up 
the milkmen coming in. They were carrying 
"food and comfort to the Spanish," as the insur- 
gent leader expressed it as he dumped the cargoes 
into the ditch. The victims were perhaps for- 
tunate to escape with their lives, as the penalty 
for supplying food to a town held by the Spanish 
was the destruction of the farmer s property, or, 
if he had had several warnings previously, he was 
likely to be shot. 

The significance of this occurrence was that 
it was only three miles from Havana. General 
Weyler's thirty days' war, therefore would have 
to begin close to the gates of the city and com- 
prise the subjugation of the island in that time. 
The Telegraph lanes. 

Every telegraph line between Havana and 
the rest of the island was cut off on February 
14th. A line to Rincon, ten miles out, was the 
extent of communication with the rest of Cuba. 
The rebels controlled absolutely the telegraph 
lines of the whole island, and all efforts of the 
Spanish to preserve communication with the in- 
terior were unavailing. 

Weyler's Proclamations. 

Instead of going out to fight, General Weyler 
began issuing proclamations. On February 1 6th 



CUBA. 



249 



he published three of them. The first defined 
the offenders who were made subject to military 
jurisdiction and trial by court martial as follows : 

First — Those who invent or circulate by any 
means whatever news or information directly or 
indirectly favorable to the rebellion will be con- 
sidered guilty of acts against the security oi the 
country, as defined by Article 223 of the military 
code, as they thereby facilitate the operations of 
the enemy. 

Second — Those who destroy or damage rail- 
roads, telegraphs or telephones, or interrupt the 
operations of the same. 

Third — Those who are guilty of arson. 

Fourth — Those who sell, carry or deliver 
arms or ammunition to the enemy or in any other 
way facilitate their introduction through the cus- 
tom houses. Parties failing to cause the seizure 
of such arms or ammunition will incur criminal 
responsibility. 

Fifth — Telegraph operators delivering war 
messages to other persons than the proper 
officials. 

must Praise Spain. 

Sixth — Those who by word of mouth, through 
the medium of the press or in any other manner, 
shall belittle the prestige of Spain, the army, vol- 
unteers, firemen, or any other forces operating 
with the army. 



25O CUBA. 

Seventh — Those who by the same means 
shall praise the enemy. 

Eighth — Those who shall furnish the enemy 
with horses or other resources of warfare. 

Ninth — Those who act as spies will be pun- 
ished to the fullest extent of the law. 

Tenth — Those who shall act as guides to the 
enemy and fail to surrender themselves immedi- 
ately, and give proof of their loyalty and report 
the strength of the force employed by the enemy. 

Eleventh — Those who shall adulterate the 
food of the army or alter the prices of provisions. 

Twelfth — Those using explosives in violation 
of the decree of October 17th, 1895. 

Thirteenth — Those who shall use pigeons, 
rockets or signals to convey news to the enemy. 

Fourteenth — The offenses above mentioned 
are punishable by the penalty of death or life im- 
prisonment, the judges to take summary proceed- 
ings. 

Fifteenth — All orders conflicting with the 
foregoing are hereby revoked. 

Passports and Credentials. 

The second proclamation was as follows : 

First — All the inhabitants of the country 
within the jurisdiction of Sancti Spiritus and the 
provinces of Puerto Principe and Santiago will 
present themselves at the headquarters of a 
division, brigade or column of the army, and pro- 



CUBA. 2 5 I 

vide themselves with a document proving their 
identity inside of eight days from the publication 
of this order in their respective townships. 

Second — To go into the country within the 
radius of the column's operating therein it is now 
necessary to obtain a pass from the Mayor or 
military commander. Those failing to comply 
with this requirement will be detained and sent to 
Havana, subject to my orders. In case of doubts 
as to the genuineness of a pass, or if there are 
reasons to suppose a party to have sympathy with 
the rebels or giving aid, responsibility for the same 
will be placed upon the officer issuing the pass. 
Stores to be Seized. 

Third — All stores in the country districts 
must be vacated at once by their owners. Chiefs 
of columns must also decide as to the disposition 
of such property, which, while being unproductive 
to the country, may at the same time serve as a 
habitation or hiding place for the enemy. 

Fourth — All passes issued prior to this date 
are hereby canceled. 

Fate of Prisoners. 

In the third proclamation Gen. Weyler dele- 
gated full powers to proceed with military trials 
to the commanders of the First and Second Army 
Corps and the commander of the Third Division. 

Prisoners taken in action were to be subiect 
to summary court martial. 



252 CUBA. 

More Troops for Weyler. 

General Weyler soon began to ask for more 
troops. His first reinforcements arrived on 
February 26. He at the same time seized one- 
tenth of all the horses in Havana for the use of 
his army. 

The insurgents were not at all frightened by 
his fierce words, however. At the very time when 
the new Spanish troops were landing, a band of 
rebels made a raid on the stores on the outskirts 
of Cardenas. The storekeepers were mostly 
volunteers, and as such had been furnished arms 
and ammunition by the Government. The rebels 
seized the rifles and cartridges and then decamped. 
They met with no resistance. 

The Massacre of Guatao* 

A dreadful event of the beginning of Wey- 
ler' s administration was the massacre at Guatao, 
which occurred on February 2 2d. It followed im- 
mediately upon the retreat of a small body of 
rebels, certainly not over forty, who had met a 
considerable Spanish force at Punta Brara, and 
had retired after some firing, which both sides 
admit, had no serious results. The insurgents 
withdrew along the road to Guatao, only a mile 
away, but separated before they reached that 
place and disappeared in the surrounding country. 

The Spaniards, however, following along the 
road, marched straight into Guatao, and, without 




Cubans Burning a Deserted Village. 




An Insurgent attack, near Vueltas. 



CUBA, 



2 55 



waiting to find any armed men, immediately be- 
gan firing promiscuously, shooting down unarmed 
and peaceful citizens in all directions. Then they 
proceeded to massacre the few inhabitants with- 
out mercy. A milkman, who was shot at while 
pursuing his vocation, and fled into his house, was 
followed and ruthlessly shot down within doors. The 
town is very small, of only some two-score houses 
of inferior quality, and was easily run through by 
the murderous Spaniards. The people started 
for the woods in terror, knowing that if they met 
any insurgents they would be well treated, and 
trusting to conceal themselves ; but men running 
away were shot in the street. Several men who 
could not run were killed where they stood. 

The troops entered the houses and shot quiet 
men who were doing nothing. They raided bed 
rooms, and a man confined to his bed by erysip- 
elas was killed as he lay there. In one case a 
woman came to the door of her house and pleaded 
with the soldiers for the life of her husband, who 
lay ill in bed. Their response was the crash of 
the butt of a musket in the woman's head. They 
then broke down a door and shot the husband in 
bed. 

Prisoners Killed. 

The previous fight had resulted in the capture 
of five Cubans by the Spaniards. These five were 
shot dead in the fields. These, with thirteen dead 



256 CUBA. 

found by Red Cross physicians who went to 
Guatao, make eighteen altogether. There were 
no wounded, all who did not escape to the woods 
being made sure of. 

Of three cigar-makers of Havana, named 
Chaves, who ran down to Guatao that afternoon 
to see their mother, one was killed and the others 
made prisoners. Every one of the dead in Guatao 
is recognized as a peaceful non-combatant. 

It is credibly asserted that when the troops 
went back to Mariano, whence reinforcements 
had been sent, bringing their prisoners with them, 
the soldiers were drunk. Examination of the 
houses in Guatao proves that the assertion of the 
authorities that the insurgent troops took refuge 
in them and fired on the Spaniards is untrue. 
Very Near Havana. 

These terrible scenes took place within a 
dozen miles from Havana, and the ignorance which 
Gen. Weyler professed of the actual facts was 
manifestly not to be believed. 

Troops brought the bodies of the dead from 
the houses and fields and placed them on the 
ground in front of the main store. The prisoners 
who were captured in houses and fields without 
arms were pinioned and compelled to walk to 
Mariano. They were bruised and ill-treated on 
the way, and required medical attendance upon 
their arrival. 



CUBA. 



2 57 



Among the dead was the gravedigger, 
making it necessary to obtain a negro to dig the 
graves. 

The facts above related are verified by per- 
sons who went to Punta Brara and Guatao. 
The Towns Deserted. 

The towns of Guatao and Punta Brara were 
soon deserted. The residents fled to Havana in 
fear of their lives. Of 1,710 people in the latter 
town only fourteen remained. The action of the 
troops so close to Havana created an intense 
sensation there. 

The only official notice taken by the govern- 
ment was a telegram of congratulation sent 
Marquis De Cervera, Alcalde of Mariano. This 
was in response to his message to Weyler, in 
which he said: " They have done to-day what your 
Excellency so gloriously did at Jaina, Santo 
Domingo, thirty years ago." 

Weyler Calls a Halt. 

Arrests of civilians under the sweeping pro- 
visions of General Weyler' s proclamations of 
February 16 had been made at such a rate and 
in many cases with so little evidence of guilt that 
General Weyler was soon compelled to issue 
instructions to his officers to be more careful, as 
he required more proof than verbal denunciation. 
He issued on March 8th a circular in which he 
stated that absolute proof must be furnished by 



258 CUBA. 

other than interested persons before accused 
men would be deported, and warning com- 
manders that they would be held responsible for 
false answers. 

Without doubt General Weyler had in view 
the effect of this order abroad, for the manner in 
which Cubans who had never borne arms against 
Spain were dragged from their homes and 
thrown into prisons with felons, and after a few 
days' delay placed on board ship for what is 
probably the vilest penal colony on the face of 
the earth, had become a shame which cried aloud 
for redress. General Weyler, on his arrival, set 
at liberty a number of these civilian prisoners 
whom General Pando had taken from their daily 
occupations. The only evidence against these 
men was a paper purporting to be a list of the 
people who were aiding and communicating with 
the enemy. It was made up by a Spaniard. 
Powers of Life and Death. 

Said a correspondent writing from Havana 
on March 9 : 

" General Weyler has removed the alcaldes 
of all towns in whom he had not absolute confi- 
dence, and has appointed the ranking military 
officers of regular troops of volunteers alcaldes 
or mayors. These men possess arbitrary powers. 
Under the proclamation the life or death of any 
man, woman or child in their zone is in their 



CUBA. 259 

hands. A large proportion of these commanders 
believe Weyler to be a man who will quickly 
approve any extreme act on their part. They 
look for no punishment for summary executions 
of Cubans who sympathize with the insurgents. 
They expect praise and promotion for shooting 
prisoners as soon as taken. General Canella was 
sent back to Spain by Weyler either for having 
shot down seventeen prisoners, or for having re- 
ported 'seventeen bodies were found afterward 
in another part of the field ' ; but the man who 
confessed to his friends here, and probably to 
General Weyler, to having killed seventeen 
people in cold blood received no more severe 
punishment than being deprived of his command. 
" When the horrible story of the butchery of 
eighteen peaceable citizens in the little hamlet of 
Guatao was published in the United States, and 
telegraphed back here, General Weyler announced 
that he would make a thorough examination and 
would severely punish those responsible for the 
outrage if one had been committed. Two weeks 
have gone by since the affair occurred, and no 
official has lost his stripes. Guatao was so near 
Havana that American correspondents succeeded 
in demonstrating the absolute truth of the story. 
Dozens of reports of affairs in which unarmed 
citizens are killed by Spanish troops have been 
received here, but the authorities have placed 



26o CUBA. 

such obstacles in the way of correspondents that 
it is impossible to visit the localities and establish 
the facts. In a dozen cases refugees from towns 
where fights have occurred state that after the 
rebels were driven away citizens who took no part 
were shot down, and counted in the official reports 
as dead insurgents. The government officials deny 
these stories, and while it is common talk in 
Havana that certain affairs were butcheries, the 
correspondents are in most cases obliged to 
accept the Government version." 

More Proclamations* 

Among the various manifestos published by 
Weyler on March 8, were the following: 

" I have promulgated an order that the teach- 
ers of divinity of the Provinces of Matanzas, Santa 
Clara, Puerto Principe and Santiago de Cuba, who, 
confessedly, have taken part in the movements of 
the rebels, shall be pardoned on making their 
submission, surrendering their arms and placing 
themselves under the surveillance of the lawful 
authority, provided they have not committed 
other crimes since the issuance of my last pro- 
clamation. 

"The teachers of divinity who, without arms, 
shall come in under the same circumstances will 
be immediately transferred to the encampments, 
forts and towns, where they may be under the 
immediate vigilance of the troops, and all the 



CUBA. 26l 

teachers shall be under the control of the com- 
mandants in whatever jurisdiction they may be 
assigned. A record of those so attached to each 
column, encampment or fort will be kept, and 
their superiors will make a report every fifteen 
days concerning the conduct of the teachers, and 
will determine the time at which they will be per- 
mitted to reside in whatever place it may be 
deemed advisable to conduct them, placing them 
under the supervision of the local authorities, or 
making any other disposition of them which may 
be considered proper. In the meantime they will 
become permanently attached to the military 
forces, and will give their attention to the dying, 
and will be entitled to such rations as troops in 
the field or traveling. 

" These directions will not go into effect in 
the Provinces of Pinar del Rio and Havana until 
these provinces have extended to them the pre- 
vailing law in the case of those who deliver 
themselves up to the authorities." 

For Extermination. 

The following proclamation was also issued : 
"I make known to our harassed troops and 
to those who attempt to demoralize them as they 
pursue eastward rebel parties more numerous 
than those whom they leave in the Provinces of 
Pinar del Rio and Havana that the time has 
arrived to pursue with the greatest activity and 



262 CUBA. 

rigor the little bands, more of outlaws than in- 
surgents, who have remained in the said provinces, 
and to adopt whatever measures are necessary 
for the proper and immediate carrying out of 
that intention. I hereby order : 

"(i) — That the troops be divided into col- 
umns to operate in both provinces and that the 
guardia civil be re-established on the lines of 
that now existing in Pinar del Rio and in a part 
of Puerto Principe, and that in Havana and a 
part of the Province of Santiago de Cuba they 
occupy only the places remote from the present 
pacified or tranquiliz^d districts until they are 
able to occupy the positions which they held be- 
fore (in the districts now in revolt). 

"(2) — The commander of each zone, or the 
corresponding official who may be otherwise 
characterized in each place, shall be the com- 
mander of the native army. 

"(3) — Each community seeking to do so, 
and applying to the general staff of the army, 
may arm a section of volunteers or guerrillas of 
thirty men, equipped as infantry soldiers, which 
force will defend the country and in every case 
operate under orders of the military authorities 
of the locality. 

"(4) — Those who are in possession of arms 
must be placed in a state of complete defense 
and enabled to avoid a surprise. 



CUBA. 



263 



Fifteen Days' Grace. 

"(5) — The military governors of Havana 
and Pinar del Rio will present reports to the 
Captain-General. 

"(6) — The authorities of the villages who will 
show themselves friendly within a term of ten 
days, and those of the vicinity of the same, and 
all those within its limits that are engaged in the 
insurrection, are warned to surrender themselves 
within the space of fifteen days from the publica- 
tion of this proclamation, otherwise they will be 
subject to arrest ; and well-disposed persons will 
be held to their civil responsibilities, and to effect 
this it will be proposed to the Governor-General 
to nominate a body which will see to carrying 
this out. 

"(7) — If, in the case of insurgent parties who 
have sacked, robbed, burned or committed other 
outrages during the rebellion, any one will give 
information as to the participation that such per- 
sons may have had in them, not only those who 
may have been in the rebel ranks, but also those 
who have succored them, or who have not 
remained in their homes, they will be fittingly 
punished; and, moreover, if any town or other 
place where robberies have been effected is 
known to them, they will be required to make 
identification that proper responsibility may be 
fixed. 



264 CUBA. 

Threats. 

"(8) — Rebels, who may not be responsible 
for any other crime, who, within the term of 
fifteen days, present themselves to the nearest 
military authority in both provinces and who will 
assist in the apprehension of any one guilty of 
the foregoing offenses, will not be molested, but 
will be placed at my disposal. Those who have 
presented themselves at an earlier time will be 
pardoned; those who may have committed any 
other crimes, or who obstructed any public cargo 
proceeding to its destination will be judged 
according to the antecedents, and their case will 
be withheld for final determination. He who 
presents himself and surrenders arms, and, in a 
greater degree, if there be a collective presenta- 
tion, will have his case determined by me. All 
who present themselves after the time mentioned 
in this warning will be placed at my disposal. 

"(9) — All the authorities or civil function- 
aries, of whatsoever kind, and who do not hold a 
license for attendance upon the sick, and who 
are not found at their posts, after the end of 
eight days, in both provinces will be named to 
the Governor-General as ceasing to act for the 
local authorities. 

"(10) — The planters, manufacturers and 
other persons who, within the territory of the 
provinces warned, shall periodically facilitate, or 



CUBA. 265 

even for a single time shall give money of any 
kind soever to the insurgents, save and except 
in the case of their being obliged to yield to 
superior force, a circumstance which will have to 
be examined in a most searching manner, will be 
regarded as disloyal through helping the rebellion. 

•'(xi) — For the repair of roads, railways, 
telegraphs, etc., the personal co-operation of the 
inhabitants of the villages will be required, and 
in the case of the destruction of any kind of prop- 
erty, the occupants of convenient habitations will 
be held responsible if they do not immediately 
inform the nearest authority of such occurrences." 
Offer of Amnesty. 

He also issued this proclamation, offering 
amnesty to rebels : 

" I have deemed it proper to direct that per- 
sons presenting themselves in the provinces of 
Matanzas, Santa Clara, Puerto Principe, and San- 
tiago de Cuba, and who confessedly have been 
with the rebels will be pardoned, provided they 
surrender themselves with their arms, and have 
been guilty of no other crimes. In such cases, 
however, they will remain under the surveillance 
of the authorities until further orders from me. 
Should they surrender themselves in considerable 
bodies that fact will recommend them to greater 
consideration. Those who present themselves 
under similar conditions, but without arms, will 



266 CUBA. 

be assigned to detachments in towns or forts or 
elsewhere, where they may be subjected to the 
vigilance of troops. A record of all such persons 
shall be kept by the commander of arms of the 
jurisdiction to which they belong, and he shall note 
upon such record the names of those persons as- 
signed to each column, detachment or fort. 
To Report on the Suspects. 

"The chiefs of such detachments or forts 
will then give a fortnightly report of the behavior 
of such surrendered persons as are under their 
charge, and acting upon these reports I will 
determine the localities where they may be per- 
mitted to reside, or whether they shall be con- 
ducted elsewhere to be left under the surveillance 
of the local authorities, or to be disposed of as I 
may deem proper. While such persons remain 
with the troops they shall be served with daily 
rations, which the chief to whom they are detailed 
will note in his statement. These conditions 
shall be void in any province as soon as the 
special edict made applicable to the provinces of 
Havana and Pinar del Rio governing the sur- 
render of rebels shall also be, made similarly 
applicable to it." 

Appeal for Recognition. 

Efforts were made during the winter of 
1895-6 to induce the United States Government 



CUBA. 267 

to recognize the Cubans as belligerents and 
extend to them belligerent rights. Some sincere 
friends of Cuba doubted the wisdom of this 
course, but a vast majority of the American 
people seemed to favor it. 

On January 29th the Senate committee on 
Foreign Relations decided to take some definite 
action. Two sentiments had divided the com- 
mittee from the beginning. On the one hand 
there had been a general desire to grant the 
recognition which the revolutionists desired, and 
thus put an end at once to the highly annoying 
and embarrassing conditions under which inter- 
course between the United States and Cuba had 
been maintained for the last ten months. With 
a recognition of the Cuban Revolutionary 
Government as a belligerent Power, it had been 
assumed that the annoyances of the neutrality 
policy would be to a great extent removed, or at 
least insensibly diminished. On the other hand, 
there had been an unmistakable feeling that the 
United States could not with propriety and 
justice proclaim the belligerency of the insurgent 
forces on the military showing so far made by 
them. The precedent set by Secretary Fish in 
the last Cuban rebellion was felt to have bound 
this country to a policy of extreme caution in 
dealing with the present uprising against the 
Spanish Government. 



268 CUBA. 

A L,ong: Debate. 

Similar resolutions were introduced in the 
House of Representatives, and then a long 
debate ensued, not only in Congress, but in the 
public press and throughout the country at large. 
Senor Palma, the Cuban Delegate, addressed a 
long letter on the subject to Secretary Olney, 
which was communicated to the Senate and 
formed the basis of its action. 

Senor Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish Minister 
at Washington, took a hand in this debate through 
the newspapers — an unusual thing for a Minister 
to do. He especially protested against some 
statements made in the Senate concerning the 
way in which the Spaniards were conducting the 
war in Cuba. He said : 

"I read with the deepest regret the state- 
ments made in the Senate by some of the most 
influential Senators of the United States, knowing 
that the facts which were stated by them were 
incorrect ; that their good faith, of which I have 
no doubt, had been imposed upon, and that it 
would be very easy for me to prove in a little 
time that the Senators had been misinformed by 
persons interested in bringing about a misunder- 
standing between the two countries. 

" I cannot understand how all rules of war 
that have been given by all civilized nations are 
so criminal, so cruel and so tyrannical when they 



CUBA. 



269 



are applied in Cuba. I have before my eyes a 
summary of charges of inhumanity in connection 
with the war of the rebellion in the United States 
against both sides, taken from American history. 
I am sure that many of them are false, most of 
them exaggerated, some of them necessary and 
others unavoidable, but, taking only as an illus- 
tration and for the sake of argument what I see 
in that list, I cannot understand how people who 
are familiar with those necessary evils of war 
have been able to use such harsh, unjust and 
offensive language against Spain. 

" Nothing is now done in Cuba that has not 
been done and has not been deemed necessary 
in other countries when at war. It would be pos- 
sible and easy for me to quote many facts not 
different from those which now arouse public sen- 
timent against Spain. I will only ask persons 
wanting an impartial and honest opinion to read 
what the commanders-in-chief of the American 
armies of both sides and what the armies of 
France and Germany have deemed necessary for 
the protection of their soldiers and the carrying 
out of war." 

To this a vigorous reply was made by some 
of the Senators, and also by Senor Quesada, of 
the Cuban legation, who made a damning revela- 
tion of the numerous atrocities and horrors of 
Spanish warfare. 



27O CUBA. 

Action toy Congress. 

Both Houses of Congress finally adopted 
their resolutions by overwhelming majorities. 
But the resolutions were not identical. Therefore 
Conference committees were appointed, and fur- 
ther delay and debate ensued. At last, on March 
26, both Houses practically agreed upon identical 
resolutions, as follows : 

" Resolved by the Senate, (the House con- 
curring therein), That in the opinion of Congress 
a condition of public war exists between the 
Government of Spain and the Government pro- 
claimed and for some time maintained by force of 
arms by the people of Cuba, and that the United 
States of America should maintain a strict neu- 
trality between the contending Powers, according 
to each all the rights of belligerents in the ports 
and territories of the United States. 

" Resolved, further, That the friendly offices 
of the United States should be offered by the 
President to the Spanish Government for the 
recognition of the independence of Cuba." 

These resolutions were ultimately adopted 
in the midst of great enthusiasm by an over- 
whelming majority on April 6, and sent to the 
President for his consideration and action. Being 
concurrent in form, they were not mandatory 
upon him, and he was not compelled to do any- 
thing ctt ail with them. 




Cubans Fighting /rom the Tree- Tops. 




S3 
58 

3 

•a 

•a 

a 
a 

§ 

a 

■£ 

a 
« 
a 
go 



CHAPTER XII. 



LATEST OPERATIONS THE "COMPETITOR CASE — WEY- 

LER FORCED TO TAKE THE FIELD— DEATH OF 

OSGOOD, THE AMERICAN WEYLER GOES OUT 

AGAIN— ATTITUDE OF THE WASHINGTON GOV- 
ERNMENT THE DEATH OF MACEO SPAIN'S 

IMPLACABLE FOE MACEO's GREAT RAID THE 

HER0\S LAST CAMPAIGN THE FINAL TRAGEDY 

THE DEMAND FOR RECOGNITION. 




URING THE summer and early fall of 
1896 no important changes occurred in 
the situation of affairs in Cuba. The 
insurgents fully held their ground, controlling 
most of the island outside of a score of garrison 
towns. General Weyler remained in Havana, 
talking of the great things he would do, but doing 
nothing. Forty thousand new troops were 
received from Spain, bringing the total in the 
island up to about 200,000, or four or five times 
as many as those of the insurgents. The latter 
were divided into two principal bands. The larger 
of them was in the east-central part of the island, 

16 (273) 



274 CUBA. 

under the command of the General-in-Chief, Max- 
imo Gomez. The other was in Pinar del Rio, 
under the dashing Lieutenant-General, Antonio 
Maceo. The latter gave the Spanish by far the 
more trouble. Frequent raids and forays men- 
aced even Havana itself. Weyler constructed 
another trocha across the island, west of Havana, 
which, he boasted, would keep Maceo and his men 
shut up in Pinar del Rio until they were starved 
into submission. But this boast was vain. The 
rich province furnished ample supplies for the 
maintenance of the patriot army for an indefinite 
time, while arms and ammunition were easily 
smuggled in by small, fleet vessels from the 
United States, Mexico and elsewhere. Moreover, 
more than a few successful attacks were made 
upon the trocha itself, and patriot bands suc- 
ceeded in crossing and recrossing it almost at 

will. 

The "Competitor" Case. 

In April the "Competitor," a small schooner 
of American registry, eluded the vigilance of the 
Federal authorities, took on board men and 
supplies, presumably intended to aid the Cuban 
insurgents, and reached the coast of that island 
near San Cayetano. Being discovered by the 
Spanish coast guard, a conflict ensued, resulting 
in the capture of a number of those on board, 
as well as the seizure of the vessel. The prison- 



CUBA. 



275 



ers, among them several American citizens, were 
subjected to a summary military trial, which, 
although conducted by an Admiralty Court, 
alleged to be competent, appeared to have lacked 
the essential safeguards of procedure stipulated 
by the existing conventions between the United 
States and Spain. The Government promptly 
intervened to secure for its implicated citizens all 
the rights to which they were clearly entitled, 
including appeal from the pronounced sentence 
of death. Their cases were subsequently carried 
to the higher tribunal at Madrid, which has set 
the conviction aside and remanded the cases for 
retrial. 

Weyler Forced to take the Field. 

In the month of October more active opera- 
tions were resumed. The Spanish Government 
became dissatisfied with Weyler's dilatory tactics, 
and peremptorily directed him to take the field in 
person and strike a decisive blow; otherwise, it was 
intimated, he would be recalled and another put 
in his place. The reasons for this urgency were 
evident. The Spanish Treasury was empty, and 
it was found impossible to raise a loai: in any of 
the money markets of Europe. The only resort 
was, then, to appeal to the patriotism of the 
Spanish people themselves for a domestic loan ; 
and to arouse their patriotic zeal and make the 
loan a success there must at least be a show of 



276 CUBA. 

action in Cuba. So Weyler, with 60,000 troops, 
marched out of Havana toward the hills where 
lay Maceo with less than 20,000. Next day the 
loan was asked for, and the Spanish people, in 
an outburst of enthusiasm, subscribed not only 
the $50,000,000 asked for, but more than twice 
that sum. 

Death of Osgood, the American, 
Weyler did not succeed in striking the blow 
he had boasted. He did not himself come any- 
where near the enemy. But a brigade of his 
advance guard, pressing forward, came into con- 
flict with the insurgents. A sharp engagement 
followed, in which the Spanish were defeated and 
driven back with great slaughter. The Cubans 
suffered little loss, except in the death of one 
man. This was Winchester Dana Osgood, a 
young American officer. He had had a brilliant 
career as a scholar at Cornell University and the 
University of Pennsylvania, and was also a noted 
athlete, being one of the ablest foot-ball players 
of the day. He had gone to Cuba to assist the 
insurgents through pure love of liberty, and had 
done them valuable service as an artillery officer. 
In his last engagement he was personally direct- 
ing the working of a field-gun with admirable 
effect. The Spaniards were retreating, and the 
victory was won. Suddenly he was struck 
squarely in the centre of the forehead with a 



CUBA* 2J7 

heavy rifle-bullet. He staggered back, exclaimed 
"Well!" and fell dead. 

Weyler Goes Out Again. 

A few days later Weyler returned to Ha- 
vana, without having fought one serious battle. 
But the Spanish Government quickly ordered 
him out again. This time it was for the sake of 
political effect in the United States. Congress 
was about to meet, and the President would send 
in his annual message. American sympathy 
with the insurgents was known to be strong, and 
it was feared by Spain that the United States 
Government would recognize the independence 
of the Cubans, and perhaps intervene in their 
behalf. The best way to prevent this, the Span- 
ish thought, was to make a show of action, as if 
to prove Spain's ability to crush the rebellion. 
So Weyler went out and encamped at a safe 
distance from Maceo, and by a judicious manipu- 
lation of all news sent out from the island made 
it appear that he was at last subduing the insur- 
gents. As a matter of fact, he carefully avoided 
battle, while the Cubans were constantly on the 
aggressive. A detachment of the Cuban army 
crossed the trocha, passed clear around Weyler' s 
entire army, and stormed and burned a town in 
the outskirts of Havana. The firing was heard 
and the flames were seen in the very heart of the 
city, and the greatest alarm prevailed. And 



2J& CUBA. 

again Weyler hurried back, without striking the 
long-promised blow. 

Attitude of the Washington Government, 
At the beginning of December the United 
States Congress met. The President's message 
paid much attention to Cuba. " The insurrection 
in Cuba," said Mr. Cleveland, " still continues 
with all its perplexities. It is difficult to perceive 
that any progress has thus far been made toward 
the pacification of the island or that the situation 
of affairs as depicted in my last annual message 
has in the least improved. 

In addition to the President's message, Mr. 
Olney, the Secretary of State, issued an elaborate 
report on the state of Cuba, in which he said : 
"Its effect upon the personal security of our 
citizens in Cuba is not the only alarming feature 
of the reign of arbitrary anarchy in that island. 
Its influence upon the fortunes of those who 
have invested their capital and enterprise there, 
on the assumed assurance of respect for law and 
treaty rights, is no less in point. In the nature of 
things, and having regard to the normal produc- 
tions and trade of the island, most of these ven- 
tures have been made in the sugar and tobacco 
growing and stock-raising districts now given 
over to civil war. Exact statistics of the amount 
of such investments are not readily attainable, 
but an approximate statement shows that Ameri- 
can interests in actual property in the district of 



CUBA. 279 

Cienfuegos reach some $12,000,000; in the 
Province of Matanzas, some $9,000,000 ; in Sagua, 
for estates and crops alone, not less than $9,229,- 
000, while in Santiago the investments in mining 
operations probably exceed $15,000,000. For 
Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, and other interior 
districts tabulated statements are wanting, and so 
also with regard to commercial and manufacturing 
establishments, railway enterprises, and the like. 
A gross estimate of $50,000,000 would be more 
likely to fall under than over the mark. A large 
proportion of these investments is now exposed 
to the exceptional vicissitudes of the war. 
Estates have been desolated and crops destroyed 
by the insurgents and Spaniards alike. Upon 
those not actually ravaged, operations have been 
compulsorily suspended, owing to the warnings 
served by the revolutionists or the withdrawal of 
protection by the Spanish authorities. 
Xlie Death of Maceo, 

Following closely upon this came the heaviest 
blow the patriot cause had yet suffered, in the 
death of the Lieutenant-General, Antonio Maceo. 
He was betrayed by a traitor in his own camp, 
into falling into an ambush at Punta Brava, on 
Dec. 7, and was massacred with nearly all his 
staff, the treacherous physician who had led him 
to his death going over to the Spaniards in safety, 
and receiving his reward. 

Antonio Maceo had been quite the Prince 



280 CUBA. 

Rupert, the legendary chief, of two Cuban insur- 
rections, and had played an even more conspicu- 
ous part in the present war than in the ten years' 
struggle of 1 868-1 878, in which he rose from the 
rank of volunteer to that of a commander second 
only to Cespedes, Maximo Gomez, Calixte Garcia, 
and other veterans, though he was only thirty 
years of age in 1878. He was born at Guan- 
tanamo, in the Province of Santiago de Cuba, in 
1848. In his early youth he earned his living on 
the wharves, helping to load and unload cargoes. 
He was an illiterate mulatto workman when the 
insurrection broke out in 1868, and he imme- 
diately joined one of the first bands under Donato 
Marmal. During the war he found time to learn 
to read and write. He soon distinguished him- 
self, and became popular, especially among the 
colored inhabitants, who have ever since looked 
up to him as their favorite leader. He drew his 
old father and four brothers into the rebellion, 
and his youngest brother, Jose, who became a 
famous chief, was killed in the present rising 
whilst conducting an attack upon the Spanish post 
of Santa Cruz, in the district of Santiago. 
Spain's Implacable Foe. 
When the great rebellion came to an end, 
and Marshal Campos induced most of the remain- 
ing rebel leaders to sign the Peace Treaty of 
Zanjon, on February 10, 1878, Maceo refused to 



CUBA. 251 

submit. He held out for several months, and 
gave much trouble in the Eastern provinces of 
the island. At last, in August, 1878, he em- 
barked for Kingston, Jamaica. He led after- 
wards a roving life of refugee and conspirator. 
He went to Honduras, where he became a Gen- 
eral and Governor of Puerto Cortes, until he 
shared the fall of President Soto. In 1879 he 
again tried to raise bands in Cuba, but was made 
a prisoner and sent to Merhon Citadel by Gen- 
eral Blanca. He was soon released, and returned 
to America. Later on, he reappeared several 
times at Havana, putting up at one of the best 
hotels. There he was openly visited and wel- 
comed by all the well-known Separatists and by 
many Autonomists. He made tours in the whole 
island, and played his cards warily enough to give 
no pretext for severity at the hands of several 
Governors-General. He was all the time pre- 
paring treason. He suddenly went to Santiago 
de Cuba, to start the " small insurrection," Insur- 
rection chica, in 1891. He was confronted by a 
stern and able General, Polavieja, the present 
Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, and 
successor to Marshal Blanco at Manila, who 
promptly took such measures as were sufficient 
to nip the rising in the bud. Maceo fled again to 
Central America and the States, to prepare more 
slowly and successfully the present rebellion 



282 CUBA. 

with Marti, Estrada, Betances young Cespedes, 
Gomez and Aldama, 

Antonio Maceo was one of tne first exiles 
who landed in the province of Santiago de Cuba, 
after the flag of the Solitary Star La Estrella 
Solitaria had been once more unfurled in the 
dark forests and mountains of Cuba, "La Mani- 
gua," at the end of February, 1895. His follow- 
ing, on disembarking from a filibustering brig, 
consisted of thirty refugees, soon hotly pursued 
by Spanish forces from Santiago, Holguin, and 
Guantanamo. The mulattoes and negroes of 
this province had kept such recollections of their 
old leader that he was promptly joined by several 
thousand volunteers, and many men who had 
been Cuban officers in the previous rising. His 
system was purely that of a guerillero, like the 
famous guerilleros who had given Napoleon I. so 
much to do in the Peninsular War, and like the 
Mexicans who harassed Bazaine and the Imperial 
troops of Napoleon III. and Maximilian. 
Maceo's Great Raid. 

Maceo boldly prophesied, and no less boldly 
fulfilled the prediction, " that he would ride from 
the Camaguey to the gates of Havana and to 
Cape San Antonio, in Pinar del Rio, in less than 
three months." Away galloped the dark troopers, 
mounted on the hardy and active Cuban horses, 
lightly attired with no impediment but their am- 



CUBA. 283 

munition, their American rifles, and the*r terrible 
"machetes " — short swords, or cutlasses, which a 
Cuban handles from his boyhood as easily as he 
rides horses without saddles. The raiders went 
over Puerto Principe territory, across the Trocha 
del Yucaro and Moron, across the rich and fertile 
provinces of Santa Clara, Las Villas, and Matan- 
zas, dodging past the Spanish columns, dashing 
at outposts, burning plantations, destroying mills, 
laying waste every field and crop, blowing up rail- 
ways, cutting telegraphs, punishing and black- 
mailing the Loyalist planters, terrorizing the 
rural population, spreading alarm even in gar- 
risoned towns and ports. At last they met the 
brave old Marshal Campos, and Maceo out- 
manoeuvred, out-witted, out-marched him so com- 
pletely in Santa Clara and Matanzas, that the 
Spanish Kingmaker and Restorer of the Bourbon 
Monarchy had only just enough time to return by 
sea to the province of Havana before Maceo him- 
self appeared close to the capital of the island, 
carrying fire and sword into the wealthiest and 
most loyal territory of Cuba. Maceo had thus 
not only carried out his threat, but also hastened 
the resignation and disgrace of Marshal Campos. 
General Weyler succeeded Marshal Campos and 
the subsequent history of the war consists of a 
succession of dashing raids by Maceo, and of 
futile attempts by the commander of the Span- 



284 . CUBA. 

ish forces to get to close quarters with him. 
Latterly, after many manoeuvres and counter- 
manoeuvres, General Weyler began a systematic 
advance of the Spanish forces from Havana into 
the province of Pinar del Rio, driving every one 
before him and devastating the country, without, 
however, meeting traces of Maceo and the main 
body of the insurgents, until he heard that the 
bands had reappeared in Las Lomas, and close to 
the Trocha of Mariel Artemisa. 

Xhe Hero's Last Campaign, 
Maceo had been requested, it appears, by 
the Revolutionary Junta in New York to do 
something startling about the time when the 
American Congress would meet at Washington. 
He was led to believe that the rebel bands in the 
provinces of Havana and Matanzas were numer- 
ous enough to be of use for a bold raid. He was 
even induced to expect that Maximo Gomez, the 
Generalissimo, had enough organized forces to 
advance by the provinces of Santa Clara and 
Matanzas to co-operate in some striking, if not 
successful, demonstration whilst Weyler was hun- 
dreds of miles off seeking for him in Pinar del 
Rio. Maceo was always ready to attempt daring 
attacks, and on this occasion he was bent upon 
again riding at the head of his cavalry to the vil- 
lages in sight of Havana. Taking with him some 
of his black troopers, he made for the Trocha at 



CUBA. 285 

the end of November, and a night attack upon 
Artemisa proved to him that General Arolas was 
on his guard, and not likely to let him pass with- 
out fierce resistance. He explored the whole 
length of the lines across the island, thirty-one 
miles from Artemisa to Mariel. Everywhere he 
found the Spaniards on the alert, and he hid in 
the nearest Lomas on the Mariel side, near the 
coast, keenly disappointed to find that he could 
not dash across with his veterans. He seems to 
have felt for the first time misgivings and some 
hesitation ; but his instructions were clear, and he 
had sent word to Brigadier Aguirre and other 
Cuban leaders to gather on the Havana side of 
the Trocha. On a dark night a boat was used to 
carry by sea the Cuban chief and about forty of 
his officers and orderlies, including a doctor and 
the young son of Maximo Gomez. They found 
guides to take them to the Havana bands. Maceo 
had not taken into account that the Spanish 
generals had much improved their Intelligence 
Service, and had begun to find more support 
lately among the rural population. In this way 
they had been informed of the approach of 
Maceo and of the gathering of the rebels. Gen- 
eral Ahumada instantly sent out the picked 
troops he had in Havana — cavalry, artillery, and 
battalions seasoned by more than a years stay in 
Cuba. Three columns went forward, exploring 



286 CUBA. 

the country between Havana and the Trocha on 
the Mariel side, under General Figueron and two 
colonels. Maceo had only been three days in the 
province of Havana, and the Madrid Government 
was much displeased when it heard that he had 
passed the Trocha and that for forty-eight hours 
the news had been kept secret from their Gen- 
eral. 

The Final Tragedy. 

It would have gone hard with General Wey- 
ler if Maceo had succeeded even in making only 
a rapid dash to the suburbs of the capital, as he 
intended. The fortune of war favored the 
Governor-General of Cuba. As he was hurry- 
ing back post-haste with seven battalions, several 
squadrons, and mountain artillery — as soon as 
General Ahumada had informed him that his 
enemy was on the Havana side of the Trocha — 
Maceo fell in an obscure fight with a small Span- 
ish column of four hundred and eighty men, 
commanded by a Major Cirujeda, who only be- 
came aware of the significance and importance 
of his brush with the rebels when he was retiring 
towards Havana with his wounded and dead. He 
then discovered that a bugler and a guide of his 
column had found important papers, documents, 
arms, clothing, a field diary, field glasses, and 
watches, which showed that the bodies rifled by 
them were those of Maceo and his Aide-de-Camp, 



CUBA. 287 

the son of Maximo Gomez. Major Cirujeda 
ordered at once another advance to seize the 
corpses. The insurgents had recovered the al- 
most naked bodies of their two chiefs, and wel- 
comed the Spaniards with a heavy fire, which 
inflicted some losses on the column. Cirujeda 
determined to fall back, as he was short of am- 
munition. He carried to Havana the previous 
data secured by his irregulars, which was the next 
day confirmed by a deserter, the rebel surgeon 
who had been on the staff of Maceo. This eye- 
witness stated that he had seen Maceo drop 
mortally wounded, a bullet having gone though 
his neck, after mangling his face and jaw, and 
another bullet having inflicted a mortal wound in 
the abdomen. The same Spanish volley at close 
quarters had mortally wounded young Gomez 
and less seriously injured several rebel officers. 
Maceo never uttered a word, though he survived 
a few minutes. His followers scattered in all 
directions, but were rallied by their chief, and 
retraced their steps as the Spaniards were retir- 
ing, unconscious of the great advantage they had 
gained. This explains how they carried off the 
bodies of Maceo and Gomez. Maceo was much 
detested and dreaded by his opponents, but in 
this war he had faithfully obeyed the instructions 
of the Generalissimo and Cuban Revolutionary 
Executive. Always unsparing in his severity to 



288 CUBA. 

the native-born Cubans who sided with Spain, 
especially the volunteers, guerilleros, and scouts, 
he pointedly showed forbearance — like all the 
Cuban chiefs, as Marshal Campos himself has 
publicly stated — to the Spanish prisoners or sick 
that fell into his hands, sending them back to the 
Spanish outposts. He was the prototype of a 
guerillero himself — a self-made man, who, in ten 
years, rose to be Major-General of the insur- 
gents in 1878, and the idol of the colored 
people, who fancied he would be the Cuban 
Toussaint l'Ouverture. 

The Demand for Recognition. 
The death of Maceo created a profound im- 
pression in the United States, and renewed the 
demand that this government recognize the in- 
dependence of the patriots, if not, intervene in 
their behalf. Resolutions to that effect were re- 
ported to the Senate by the Foreign Affairs Com- 
mittee ; but, on intimation that the President 
would disregard them, were laid aside for future 
consideration. Their publication, however, aroused 
a storm of anger in Spain, curiously mixed with 
rejoicings over the fall of Maceo. The year 
1896 closed, therefore, with matters in statu quo — 
the insurgents holding their ground. Weyler 
for a third time in the field, but inactive, and the 
United States preserving an attitude of non-inter- 
vention and impartial neutrality. 



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Destruction of the Battleship Maine. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE MURDER OF CANOVAS SAGASTA IN J WEYLER 

OUT MARSHAL BLANCO Mc KINLEY's WORDS 

NO AMERICANS IN ARREST NOW OFFERS OF 

AUTONOMY OBJECTIONS TO THE SCHEME RUIZ 

AND ARANGUREN THE DE LOME INCIDENT 

DESTRUCTION OF THE MAINE A SURVIVOR' S 

STORY EFFECTS OF THE DISASTER. 




lITH the accession of President Mc Kin- 
ley in March, 1897, the United States 
Government entered upon a new policy 
in respect to Cuba. The release of American 
citizens, imprisoned by Spaniards, was demanded, 
and it was made plain to the Spanish Government 
that the barbarities of Weyler's campaigning must 
be stopped and the war conducted more humanely, 
or the United States would intervene. Weyler 
had deliberately set to work to exterminate the 
people of Cuba, by massacre and starvation, and 
actually succeeded in killing off 500,000, or one- 
third of the whole population, before the United 
States cried "Halt!" 

In May, 1897, the President asked Congress 
for an appropriation of $50,000, which was at 
17 (291) 



292 CUBA. 

once voted, for bringing home from Cuba all 
destitute American citizens. Then the rainy- 
season came on, and operations in the field in 
Cuba were perforce suspended until fall. 

The Murder of Canovas. 

The next important incident was in Spain 
itself. Canovas del Castillo, the Prime Minister, 
was murdered on August 8 by an Anarchist, in 
revenge for the punishment the Government had 
inflicted upon various Anarchist criminals. It 
was evident that this tragedy would have strong 
bearing upon Cuba, for Canovas had been the 
patron of Weyler, and the chief exponent of the 
policy of repression. Canovas was succeeded 
for a time by General Azcarraga, who had been 
Minister of War, and the policy toward Cuba 
remained unchanged. It was evident, however, 
that this was only a temporary arrangement. 

Sagasta In— 'Weyler Out. 

The revolution came at the beginning of Oc- 
tober. The Azcarraga Ministry resigned, and the 
Queen-Regent called Senor Sagasta, the leader of 
the Spanish Liberals, to form another. Sagasta 
did so, making up a Liberal Ministry, and deciding 
upon an immediate reversal of policy in Cuba. 

The first thing was to recall Weyler. That 
was done promptly. Weyler at first refused to 
obey the order, and talked of rebelling against 



CUBA. 293 

the Madrid Government. Finally he yielded, 
and left Cuba in a rage, saying and doing all he 
could to embitter relations between Spain and 
America. On getting back to Spain he organized 
demonstrations against the Government, and 
publicly declared it had been coerced by the 
United States ; for which conduct the Govern- 
ment presently arrested him and sentenced him 
to undergo punishment. 

Marshal Blanco. 

Sagasta sent Marshal Blanco to Cuba, as 
Weyler's successor. He had long been one of the 
most eminent and respected of Spanish officers — 
a man of great ability and of humane instincts. 
His first acts were, on arriving at Havana, to 
countermand Weyler's infamous decrees, and re- 
duce the war to a more humane basis. He also 
began the consideration of an offer of autonomy 
to Cuba, in the hope that the island might thus 
be pacified. Military operations were for a time 
few and unimportant. Efforts were made to 
succor the starving, and to revive the industries 
which had been prostrated by the war. 

At last, at the end of November, 1897, a 
scheme of autonomy was promulgated, to go into 
effect on January 1, 1898. Before it was made 
public, however, Congress met, and President 
McKinley in his message had some plain words 
to say on the Cuban question. 



294 CUBA. 

McKinley's Words. 

The tone of the President's utterance was 
calm and temperate, but the purport was unmis- 
takable. He had a fine record of deeds done to 
report, and he took strong ground concerning 
future action. He said : 

"That the Government of Sagasta has enter- 
ed upon a course from which recession with honor 
is impossible can hardly be questioned; that in the 
few weeks it has existed it has made earnest of 
the sincerity of its professions is undeniable. I 
shall not impugn its sincerity, nor should impa- 
tience be suffered to embarrass it in the task it 
has undertaken. It is honestly due to Spain 
and to our friendly relations with Spain that she 
should be given a reasonable chance to realize 
her expectations, and to prove the asserted effi- 
cacy of the new order of things, to which she 
stands irrevocably committed. She has recalled 
the commander whose brutal orders inflamed the 
American mind and shocked the civilized world. 
She has modified the horrible order of concentra- 
tion and has undertaken to care for the helpless 
and permit those who desire to resume the culti- 
vation of their fields to do so, and assures them 
the protection of the Spanish Government in their 
lawful occupations. She has just released the 
"Competitor" prisoners, heretofore sentenced to 
death, and who have been the subject of repeated 



CUBA. 295 

diplomatic correspondence during both this and 
the preceding Administration. 

No Americans in Arrest Now. 

"Not a single American citizen is now in 
arrest or confinement in Cuba of whom this 
Government has any knowledge. The near future 
will demonstrate whether the indispensable condi- 
tion of a righteous peace, just alike to the 
Cubans and to Spain, as well as equitable to all 
our interests so intimately involved in the welfare 
of Cuba, is likely to be attained. If not, the ex- 
igency of further and other action by the United 
States will remain to be taken. When that time 
comes that action will be determined in the line 
of indisputable right and duty. It will be faced 
without misgiving or hesitancy in the light of the 
obligation this Government owes to itself, to the 
people who have confided to it the protection of 
their interests and honor and to humanity. 

"Sure of the right, keeping free from all 
offence ourselves, actuated only by upright and 
patriotic considerations, moved neither by passion 
nor selfishness, the Government will continue its 
watchful care over the rights and property of 
American citizens, and will abate none of its 
efforts to bring about by peaceful agencies a 
peace which shall be honorable and enduring. If 
it shall hereafter appear to be a duty imposed by 
our obligations to ourselves, to civilization and 



296 CUBA. 

humanity to intervene with force, it shall be with- 
out fault on our part, and only because the neces- 
sity for such action will be so clear as to command 
the support and approval of the civilized world." 
Offers of Autonomy. 

Soon afterward the full text of the autonomy 
scheme, dated November 25, was made public in 
this country. It creates a Cuban parliament, 
which, with the insular executive, can consider and 
vote upon all subjects affecting local order and 
interests, possessing unlimited powers save as to 
matters of State, war and the navy, as to which 
the Governor-General acts by his own authority 
as the delegate of the central government. This 
parliament receives the oath of the Governor- 
General to preserve faithfully the liberties and 
privileges of the colony, and to it the colonial 
secretaries are responsible. It has the right to 
propose to the central government, through the 
Governor-General, modifications of the national 
charter, and to invite new projects of law or exec- 
utive measures in the interest of the colony. 

Besides its local powers, it is competent, first, 
to regulate electoral registration and procedure 
and prescribe the qualifications of electors and 
the manner of exercising suffrage ; second, to 
organize courts of justice with native judges from 
members of the local bar ; third, to frame the 
insular budget, both as to expenditures and 



CUBA. 297 

revenues, without limitation of any kind, and to 
set apart the revenues to meet the Cuban share 
of the national budget, which latter will be voted 
by the national Cortes, with the assistance of 
Cuban Senators and Deputies ; fourth, to initiate 
or take part in the negotiations of the national 
Government for commercial treaties which may 
affect Cuban interests ; fifth, to accept or reject 
commercial treaties which the national Govern- 
ment may have concluded without the participation 
of the Cuban Government; sixth, to frame the 
colonial tariff, acting in accord with the Peninsular 
Government in scheduling articles of mutual com- 
merce between the mother country and the colo- 
nies. Before introducing or voting upon a bill, 
the Cuban Government or the chambers will lay 
the project before the central Government and 
hear its opinion thereon, all the correspondence in 
such regard being made public. Finally, all con- 
flicts of jurisdiction arising between the different 
municipal, provincial and insular assemblies, or 
between the latter and the insular executive 
power, and which from their nature may not be 
referable to the central Government for decision, 
shall be submitted to the courts. 

Objections to the Scheme. 
This scheme of autonomy contains some good 
features and some bad ones. It is a vast improve- 
ment upon the present system in Cuba, and upon 



298 CUBA. 

any Spain has ever granted to any colony. It 
falls far short of the Canadian system, and far 
short, too, of the reasonable expectations not 
merely of the insurgents, but of the constitutional 
Autonomists of Cuba. 

There are three major objections to it. One 
is the dictatorial power reserved to the Governor- 
General, appointed by the Crown. He represents 
the sovereign, and it is the Spanish theory that 
in Cuba, at any rate, the sovereign is to rule as 
well as reign. So the Governor-General is to 
have power to appoint arbitrarily seventeen of the 
thirty-five members of the Cuban Senate. The 
election of one other member favorable to him 
will therefore give him entire control of that body, 
and, of course, of all legislation. His Ministers, 
too, though nominally responsible to the Legisla- 
ture, are really to be appointed or removed by 
him without regard to the will of the Legislature. 
Finally, he is to have power not only to suspend 
or dissolve the Legislature at will, but to suspend 
the constitution itself, or the vital clauses of it and 
to govern the island with the personal absolutism 
of a czar. 

A second objection is that all the judges of 
all the courts are to be appointed by the Madrid 
Government, without regard to the wishes of the 
Cubans. Since the judges are to interpret the 
constitution and the laws, and to decide all 



CUBA. 299 

disputes between the Governor-General and the 
Legislature, the purport of this provision is ap- 
parent. It is to give judicial sanction to the 
Governor-General's absolutism, and to deprive 
the islanders of all recourse against him, no 
matter what he may do. 

The third objection is the financial one. It 
is provided that the Madrid Government shall fix 
the amount of tribute to be paid yearly by Cuba 
to the Peninsular treasury, and that the Cuban 
Legislature shall be required to appropriate that 
amount in full before it can even consider the 
question of the local Budget. It is also provided 
that the Madrid Government shall hereafter fix 
the proportion of the public debt to be assumed 
by Cuba. And against these exactions of the 
Madrid Government the Cubans shall have no 
appeal. The enormity of the debt has already 
been explained. It amounts to hundreds of 
millions of dollars, and it has been created not 
for the benefit of Cuba but of Peninsular Spain. 
The Cubans are unwilling to have it, or any con- 
siderable part of it, laid upon them. That they 
will agree to a scheme under which it may all be 
laid upon them, and they be burdened with a debt 
many times greater than any other public debt in 
the world, and they be compelled, moreover, to 
pay to Spain, for the benefit of Spain and not of 
Cuba, an enormous yearly tribute — that they will 



300 CUBA. 

agree to have Cuba made, in brief, at once the 
pack-mule and the milch-cow of the Peninsula — 
is scarcely to be expected. 

Ruiz and Aranguren. 

The insurgent leaders in the field instantly- 
refused even to consider this offer of autonomy, 
and would not consent to hold a conference with 
the Spanish authorities. Several efforts to secure 
such conferences were made, with disastrous 
results. The most tragic was the effort made by 
Colonel Ruiz, a gallant young Spanish officer. 
He visited the Cuban camp of General Aran- 
guren, an old, personal friend of his, on a peaceful 
errand, to discuss terms of peace. He was hos- 
pitably received at first, but as soon as he broach- 
ed the purport of his mission he was seized by 
Aranguren's orders, hurried through a court- 
martial and put to death. This incident profoundly 
shocked the civilized world, and was generally 
regarded as a piece of uncalled-for inhumanity. 
A few weeks later Aranguren met his death at 
the hands of avenging Spaniards. No further 
attempts at negotiations were made in the field, 
though the talk of a meeting between General 
Gomez, the insurgent chief, and Marshal Blanco, 
was now and then heard. 

The DeI«ome Incident. 

Near the end of January, 1898, the United 
States Government sent its war-ship Maine on a 



CUBA. 301 

friendly visit to the harbor of Havana. No 
United States Naval vessel had gone thither 
before, since the outbreak of the war, but it was 
now deemed well to send one, to show that relations 
between America and Spain were no longer 
strained but were on a normal footing. At the 
same time Spain prepared to return the courtesy 
by sending one of her cruisers to New York. 
Unfortunately, this exchange of courtesies was 
marred by the indiscretion of the Spanish Minis- 
ter at Washington, Senor Dupuy DeLome. He 
wrote a letter to a friend in Cuba, abusing the 
United States in a most insulting fashion, and 
referring to President McKinley, personally, in 
the most opprobrious terms. This missive was 
stolen from the mails, or from the desk of its 
recipient, by the Cubans, and made public on 
February 9th. It created a profound impression, 
and aroused bitter resentment throughout the 
United States. The President acted with rare 
dignity and forbearance, giving the offender a 
chance to resign his place without being ignomi- 
niously kicked out of the country. DeLome 
promptly took advantage of the opportunity. 
He cabled his resignation to Madrid. It was 
accepted within an hour, and a few days later 
DeLome left the country whose hospitality he had 
so grossly abused. The Spanish Government 
then made a formal disclaimer of his offensive 



302 CUBA. 

utterances, and appointed another and more 
acceptable man to take his place. 

Destruction of the Maine. 

The evening of February 16, 1898, witnessed 
the most appalling tragedy the United States has 
suffered since its own civil war. This was noth- 
ing less than the destruction of the warship 
Maine in Havana harbor, and the death of more 
than 250 of her officers and men. The disaster 
came with awful suddenness, in the form of an 
explosion. Captain Sigsbee, commander of the 
ill-fated ship, thus describes it : 

" On the night of the explosion I had not 
retired. I was writing letters. I find it impos- 
sible to describe the sound or shock, but the 
impression remains of something awe-inspiring, 
terrifying — of noise, rending, vibrating, all-per- 
vading. There is nothing in the former experi- 
ence of any one on board to measure the 
explosion by. 

"After the first great shock— I cannot myself 
recall how many sharper detonations I heard, not 
more than two or three — I knew my ship was 
gone. In such a structure as the Maine, the' 
effects of such an explosion are not for a moment 
in doubt. 

"I made my way through the long passage, 
in the dark, groping from side to side, to the 
hatchway, and thence to the poop, being among 



CUBA. 303 

the earliest to reach that spot. So soon as I 
recognized the officers, I ordered the high explo- 
sives to be flooded, and I then directed that the 
boats available be lowered to rescue the wounded 
or drowning. 

" Discipline in a perfect measure prevailed. 
There was no more confusion than a call to 
general quarters would produce, if as much. 

"I soon saw, by the light of the flames, that 
all my officers and crew left alive and on board 
surrounded me. I cannot form any idea of the 
time, but it seemed five minutes from the time I 
reached the poop until I left, the last man it was 
possible to reach having been saved. It must 
have been three-quarters of an hour or more, 
however, from the amount of work done." 

A Survivor's Story. 

A graphic and detailed account of the dis- 
aster is given by Lieutenant Blandin, one of the 
officers of the Maine. 

He says: 

"I was on watch, and when the men had been 
piped below I looked down the main hatches and 
over the side of the ship. Everything was ab- 
solutely normal. I walked aft to the quarter-deck, 
behind the rear turret, as is allowed after 8 o'clock 
in the evening, and sat down on the port side, 
where I remained for a few minutes. Then, for 
some reason I cannot explain to myself now, I 



304 CUBA. 

moved to the starboard side and sat down there. 
I was feeling a bit glum, and, in fact, was so quiet 
that Lieutenant J. Hood came up and asked laugh- 
ingly if I were asleep. I said, 'No; I am on watch.' 

"Scarcely had I spoken when there came a 
dull sullen roar. Would to God that I could blot 
out the sound and the scenes that followed! Then 
came a sharp explosion; some say, numerous de- 
tonations. I remember only one. It seemed to 
me that the sound came from the port side, for- 
ward. Then came a perfect rain of missiles of all 
descriptions, from huge pieces of cement to blocks 
of wood, steel railings, fragments of gratings and 
all the debris that would be detachable in an ex- 
plosion. 

"I was struck on the head by a piece of 
cement and knocked down; but I was not hurt 
and got to my feet in a moment. Lieutenant 
Hood had run to the poop ; and I supposed, as I 
followed, he was dazed by the shock and about to 
jump overboard. I hailed him and he answered 
that he had run to the poop to help lower the 
boats. When I got there, though scarce a min- 
ute could have elasped, I had to wade in water to 
my knees, and almost instantly the quarter-deck 
was awash. On the poop I found Captain Sigs- 
bee, as cool as if at a ball, and soon all the officers 
except Jenkins and Merritt joined us. The poop 
was above water after the Maine settled to the 



CUBA. 305 

bottom. Captain Sigsbee ordered the launch and 
gig lowered ; and the officers and men, who by 
this time had assembled, got the boats out and 
rescued a number in the water. Captain Sigsbee 
ordered Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright for- 
ward to see the extent of the damage, and if any- 
thing could be done to rescue those forward or to 
extinguish the flames, which followed close upon 
the explosion and burned fiercely as long as there 
were any combustibles above water to feed them. 

''Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright on his 
return, reported the total and awful character of 
the calamity ; and Captain Sigsbee gave the last 
sad order, 'Abandon Ship,' to men overwhelmed 
with grief indeed, but calm and apparently un- 
excited." 

Effect of the Disaster. 

This disaster aroused all imaginable fears 
and passions. Some suspected that the ship had 
been destroyed by Spanish treachery, and a great 
cry for revenge arose. But the sober sense of 
the Nation prevailed, and it was properly decided 
to await in patience the result of the official 
investigation into the cause of the explosion. At 
the same time, every possible preparation was 
made for any emegency that might arise. The 
Navy was put into trim for immediate action. 
Work on new ships was pushed night and day. 
The coast defences were reinforced; and the 



306 CUBA. 

whole Naval and Military establishment of the 
nation was put upon a war footing. Congress on 
March 9, by a unanimous vote, appropriated 
$50,000,000, to be used by the President accord- 
ing to his discretion for purposes of national 
defense. 

The Court of Inquiry met promptly, and 
began a careful investigation. A wrecking 
company was set to work to recover the bodies 
of the dead. Within two days 130 bodies were 
recovered, and buried in a cemetery in Havana, 
with all the honors of war. 

A few days after the destruction of the 
Maine the Spanish warship Viscaya reached New 
York and was hospitably received. After a few 
days' stay there she departed and went her way 
in peace and safety. 

The report of the Court of Inquiry on the 
Maine disaster was laid before Congress on 
March 28. It was to the effect that the ship was 
destroyed by the external explosion of a torpedo 
or sub-marine mine, the responsibility for which 
could not be determined. The President on the 
same day sent to Congress a message on the 
subject, expressing his full confidence that the 
Spanish Government would pursue in the matter 
"a course of action suggested by honor and the 
friendly relations of the two Governments." 




WilliamMc >V°ley, Preside 



nt of the United States. 



BOOK II 



War With Spain. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



beginning of our war with spain appealing to 

the powers — general lee leaves cuba no 

european meddling — a bogus armistice 

the presidents message grounds for in- 
tervention the time for action come 

action of congress spanish defiance 

general woodford leaves madrid war 

and blockade- — the challenge accepted 

european views — causes of the war a 

striking contrast spain reaping what she 

sowed — Spain's low estate — important step 
in american politics. 



dp 



HIS IS to be a chronicle of war, and of a 
greater war than Cuba's own fight for 
freedom. In the preceding chapter we 
have told that the President hoped, and expressed 
to Congress and to the nation the hope that Spain 
would pursue in the matter of the destruction of 
the warship "Maine" a course of action suggested 
by honor and the friendly relations of the two 
18 (309) 



3IO WAR WITH SPAIN. 

governments, and also that a peaceful adjustment 
of affairs in Cuba on a basis of honor and equity, 
would be secured. Day by day the chances of such 
settlement grew more remote. Day by day the 
urgency of intervention by the United States in 
Cuba became more apparent. The demand for 
it grew more urgent. But the President waited. 
He knew that intervention meant war and he 
knew that the country was not prepared for war, 
nor indeed had the resources of diplomacy been 
so thoroughly exhausted as to justify intervention 
and war in the eyes of the world. He therefore 
kept on trying every peaceful and diplomatic 
means to settle the controversy with Spain, in the 
meantime pushing military and naval prepara- 
tions for work quietly but as expeditiously as 
possible. Congress became impatient, but he 
resisted its appeals for haste, promising to remit 
the whole case to it as soon as all diplomatic 
measures had been tried. 

Appealing to the Powers. 
Spain made desperate appeals to the Euro- 
pean powers for aid. Some of them were inclined 
to intervene in her behalf against the United 
States, but it was out of the question to do so, 
unless the six Great Powers could agree to act in 
concert. This could not be done, because Great 
Britain positively refused to take any part in such 
action, and even let it be understood, in the most 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 3 1 I 

unmistakable manner, that her sympathies were 
with the United States and that she would prob- 
ably join forces with the United States if any of 
the other Powers allied themselves with Spain. 
The Pope endeavored to bring about an amicable 
settlement of the controversy but was unable to 
do so. The Spanish Government greatly exag- 
gerated the part he had taken and thereby 
brought much reproach upon itself. 

Both nations spared no labor in preparing for 
war on land and at sea, but in this the United 
States had from the outset a vast advantage over 
Spain. She had plenty of money, while Spain 
was all but bankrupt ; she had fine shipyards and 
plenty of skilled mechanics and engineers, while 
Spain had to get her ships built and repaired 
abroad and had to look abroad for engineers and 
gunners to manage them. 

General I^ee leaves Cuba. 

Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, the United States Con- 
sul-General at Havana, was in a delicate and even 
perilous position. American ships were sent to 
Havana daily to guard his welfare and to bring 
away such Americans as desired to come. 

As a matter of fact all Americans wanted to 
get away, feeling sure that there would soon be 
war, and every boat leaving Havana was crowded 
with them. On April 5th, Gen. Lee was told that 
he might leave Havana and return home at any 



312 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

time that his own safety demanded. He deter- 
mined, however, to remain a little longer, until 
all other Americans could get away. On April 
9th, he decided to leave with the last of his fellow 
countrymen. As a matter of courtesy he called 
at the office of the Spanish Governor General to 
bid him good-bye, but that officer rudely refused 
to see him. Then Gen. Lee, with various other 
United States Officers and a number of private 
citizens, went aboard the steamship "Fern." 
When all was ready, he signaled for all other 
American vessels to leave the harbor first and 
then late in the afternoon headed the " Fern" for 
home. As the steamer passed by the wharves of 
the city she was made a target for shouts and 
abuse from the crowds of Spaniards that thronged 
the water front. Gen. Lee was recognized by the 
mob and many insulting shouts were directed at 
him. Vice-Consul Springer who had been in 
the Island 30 years, was standing by Gen. Lee's 
side. He waved his hand in ironical adieu to the 
mob and shouted back at them, "Wait, my friends, 
we will all be back pretty soon." There was one 
pretty incident. A British vessel was unloading 
her cargo atone of the wharves. As the " Fern" 
passed her, she saluted with her flag, while her 
crew gave three hearty cheers. Thus Gen. Lee 
returned home and American relations with Cuba 
were closed. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 313 

No European Meddling;. 

In order to settle at once all talk about Euro- 
pean intervention or even mediation, the Presi- 
dent on April 7 arranged for a meeting at the 
White House with the representatives of the six 
Great Powers. On arriving there, the Ambas- 
sadors delivered to him a mild and courteous 
note, expressing, in the names of their respective 
governments, an earnest hope that further ne- 
gotiations might lead to an agreement between 
the United States and Spain, which, while securing 
the maintenance of peace, would afford all neces- 
sary guarantees for the re-establishment of order 
in Cuba. To this the President responded with 
all possible courtesy, but with decided firmness. 
He said that he appreciated the good will of the 
Powers and shared with them the hope that peace 
might be maintained and justice established at 
the same time, but he gave them to understand 
that this was a matter in which the United States 
must act according to its own interests, and in 
which no foreign interference could be tolerated. 
That served notice to all the world that this 
nation was going to settle with Spain on its own 
account. 

A Bogus Armistice. 

The next important move was made by 
Spain. On April 9th the Cabinet decided to 
grant an armistice to the Insurgents in Cuba. 



3 H WAR WITH SPAIN. 

This was done without any negotiation with the 
Insurgents and without any assurance that they 
would accept the offer. As a matter of fact, it 
was perfectly well known that the Insurgents 
would not accept the offer. This move on the part 
of the Spanish Government was evidently a mere 
ruse or pretext for delay, which the United States 
Government recorded at its real value. Then 
the Prime Minister issued a call for the Cortes to 
assemble on April 20th, five days earlier than 
had been intended. This was evidently done for 
the purpose of expediting, if possible, prepara- 
tions for war and also on making some repre- 
sentations that might have effect upon the other 
powers of Europe. 

The President's Message. 
At last, on April nth, the President sent to 
Congress his long awaited message on the Cuban 
question. He related in detail the story of his 
patient dealings with Spain and her incorrigible 
conduct and asked for authority to intervene in 
Cuba, peacefully, if possible, forcibly, if necessary. 
He gave his reasons for favoring intervention 
in a logical and conclusive form. First, for the 
sake of humanity and to put a stop to starvation 
and massacre and all the horrible miseries that 
prevailed on the island ; for the protection of 
American citizens and their property in Cuba 
and the restoration of American commerce to 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 315 

normal conditions, and finally, for the freeing of 
this Government from the intolerable nuisance 
of chronic war in Cuba and continuous and enor- 
mous expense in preventing filibustering and 
from the constant menace to our national peace 
and safety. These were the. grounds and they 
appealed to every one as moderate and absolutely 
just and convincing. Let some of his own words 
be quoted for the record. After arguing against 
recognition of the independence of the Cubans, 
he said : 

" There remain the alternative forms of inter- 
vention to end the war, either as an impartial 
neutral by imposing a rational compromise be- 
tween the contestants, or as the active ally of the 
one party or the other. 

"As to the first, it is not to be forgotten that 
during the last few months the relation of the 
United States has virtually been one of friendly 
intervention in many ways, each not of itself con- 
clusive, but all tending to the exertion of a poten- 
tial influence towards an ultimate pacific result, 
just and honorable to all interests concerned. The 
spirit of all our acts hitherto has been an earnest, 
unselfish desire for peace and prosperity in Cuba, 
untarnished by differences between us and Spain, 
and unstained by the blood of American citizens. 

The forcible intervention of the United States 
as a neutral, to stop the war, according to the 



3l6 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

large dictates of humanity and following many 
historical precedents where neighboring States 
have interfered to check the hopeless sacrifices of 
life by internecine conflicts beyond their borders, 
is justifiable on rational grounds It involves, 
however, hostile constraint upon both the parties 
to the contest, as well to enforce a truce as to 
guide the eventual settlement 

Grounds for Intervention 

"The grounds for such intervention may be 
briefly summarized as follows 

"First — In the cause of humanity and to put 
an end to the barbarities, bloodshed, starvation 
and horrible miseries now existing there, and 
which the parties to the conflict are either unable 
or unwilling to stop or mitigate. It is no answer 
to say this is all in another country, belonging to 
another nation, and is therefore none of our busi- 
ness. It is specially our duty, for it is right at 
our door. 

"Second — We owe it to our citizens in Cuba 
to afford them that protection and indemnity for 
life and property which no government there can 
or will afford, and to that end to terminate the 
conditions that deprive them of legal protection. 
"Third — The right to intervene maybe justified 
by the very serious injury to the commerce, trade 
and business of our people, and by the wanton des- 
truction of property and devastation of the island. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 317 

"Fourth — And which is of the utmost im- 
portance. The present condition of affairs in 
Cuba is a constant menace to our peace, and 
entails upon this Government an enormous ex- 
pense. With such a conflict waged for years in 
an island so near us and with which our people 
have such trade and business relations — when the 
lives and liberty of our citizens are in constant 
danger and their property destroyed and them- 
selves ruined — where our trading vessels are 
liable to seizure and are seized at our very door 
by warships of a foreign nation, the expeditions 
of filibustering that we are powerless altogether 
to prevent, and the irritating questions and en- 
tanglements thus arising — all these and others 
that I need not mention, with the resulting 
strained relations, are a constant menace to our 
peace and compel us to keep on a semi-war foot- 
ing with a war nation with which we are at peace. 

The Time for Action Come. 

"The long trial has proved that the object 
for which Spain has waged the war cannot be at- 
tained. The fire of insurrection may flame or 
may smoulder with varying seasons, but it has 
not been and it is plain that it cannot be extin- 
guished by present methods. The only hope of 
relief and repose from a condition which can no 
longer be endured, is the enforced pacification of 
Cuba. In the name of humanity, in the name of 



3l8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

civilization, in behalf of endangered American in- 
terests which give us the right and the duty to 
speak and to act, the war in Cuba must stop. 

" In view of these facts and of these consid- 
erations, I ask the Congress to authorize and em- 
power the President to take measures to secure 
a full and final termination of hostilities between 
the Government of Spain and the people of 
Cuba, and secure in the island the establishment 
of a stable Government capable of maintaining 
order and observing its international obligations, 
insuring peace and tranquillity and the security of 
its citizens as well as our own, and to use the mil- 
itary and naval forces of the United States, as 
may be necessary, for these purposes." 

In conclusion he said, "The issue is now 
with Congress. It is a solemn responsibility. I 
have exhausted every effort to relieve the intoler- 
able condition of affairs which is at our doors. 
Prepared to exact every obligation imposed upon 
me by the Constitution and the Law, I await your 
action." 

This message was accompanied by many ex- 
tracts from the reports of the various United 
States Councils in Cuba showing the horrible ex- 
tent to which starvation, disease and death had 
been caused by General Weyler's inhuman order 
and all agreeing that autonomy for Cuba as pro- 
posed by Spain was an impossibility. 



War with spain. 319 

Action of Congress. 

Congress acted on the President's message 
with promptness. There was some little ques- 
tion whether the Cuban Insurgents should be 
recognized as independent or not. The President 
was opposed to such recognization, and his judg- 
ment finally prevailed. The House of Repre- 
sentatives on April 13th adopted a resolution 
empowering the President to intervene in Cuba 
for the restoration of peace and to use the 
army and navy if necessary for the purpose. 
The Senate made some additions to this and 
finally on April 18th an agreement of both 
Houses was reached on the following resolutions: 

Resolved, By the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America, in Congress assembled : 

First — That the people of the island of Cuba are, and of 
right ought to be, free and independent. 

Second — That it is the duty of the United States to de- 
mand and the Government of the United States does hereby 
demand, that the Government of Spain at once relinquish its 
authority and government in the island of Cuba and withdraw 
its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters. 

Third — That the President of the United States be, and 
he hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land 
and naval forces of the United States, and to call into the 
actual service of the United States the militia of the several 
States, to such extent as may be necessary to carry these 
resolutions into effect. 



320 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Fourth — That the United States hereby disclaims any 
disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction 
or control over said island, except for the pacification thereof, 
and asserts its determination when that is accomplished to 
leave the government and control of the island to its people. 

This meant business. The President promptly 
signed the intervention act and sent a note to 
Spain requesting her to withdraw from Cuba and 
let the United States restore order. At the same 
time, United States warships began to gather in 
the Gulf of Mexico and the United States army 
was gradually moved eastward and southward 
toward Florida. 

Spanish Defiance. 
Spain met all this with defiance. On April 
19th the Prime Minister made a bellicose speech 
to his supporters in the Cortes in which he railed 
at and maligned the United States, declaring the 
intervention act to be the most infamous insult 
ever offered to a nation, and declaring that Spain 
would fiorht to the bitter end before she would 
yield an inch to the United States. 

The next day the Cortes met. The Queen 
came in person to deliver her speech, reading it, 
seated upon the throne, with the boy King stand- 
ing at her right hand. Her speech followed the 
lines of the Prime Minister of the day before, 
accusing the United States of insult and aggres- 
sion and urging the Spanish Government to 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 32 1 

resist to the very end. " It is possible," she 
said, " that an act of aggression is imminent, and 
that neither the sanctity of our right nor the 
moderation of our conduct, nor the express wish 
of the Cuban people freely manifested, may serve 
to restrain the passions and hatred let loose 
against the Spanish Fatherland. In anticipation 
of this critical moment, when reason and justice 
will have for their support only the Spanish cour- 
age and the traditional energy of our people, I 
have hastened the assembly of the Cortes, and 
the supreme decision of Parliament will doubtless 
sanction the unalterable resolution of my Govern- 
ment to defend our rights, whatsoever sacrifices 
may be imposed upon us to accomplish this task. 
In acting thus in unison with the nation, I not 
only perform the duty which I swore to fulfil when 
I accepted the Regency, but I also seek to 
strengthen my mother's heart with the confident 
belief that the Spanish people will display a force 
which nothing can shake, until the time when it 
will be given to my son to defend in person the 
honor of the nation and the integrity of its 
territory." 

General 'Woodford Leaves Madrid. 

The Spanish Government refused to receive 
the President's note or ultimatum. One copy of 
it was delivered to the Spanish Minister at Wash- 
ington. He immediately asked for his passports 



322 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

and prepared to leave the country. On the 
evening of April 20th, he and his suite entered a 
railroad train at Washington and departed for 
Canada. There was no public demonstration 
at his departure, and no unpleasant incidents 
whatever. 

At the same time the President's note was 
transmitted by cable to Gen. Woodford, the 
United States Minister at Madrid, for him to pre- 
sent to the Prime Minister of Spain. The latter 
refused to receive it and sent Gen. Woodford his 
passport. The General thereupon departed from 
Madrid for France as speedily as possible. A 
oreat crowd surrounded the railroad station, 
shouting all sorts of unfriendly utterances at the 
departing minister. As the train traversed Span- 
ish territory, it was frequently attacked and 
stoned, windows were broken and the police had 
to protect it from the mob with drawn swords. 
At one point Gen. Woodford's car was invaded 
by detectives who proposed to arrest the Gen- 
eral's Secretary on the ground that he was a 
Spaniard. Gen. Woodford personally resisted 
their attempts and finally succeeded in getting 
away and in taking his Secretary with him to 
safety. 

'War and Blockade. 

Simultaneously with the dismissal of the 
American Minister, the Spanish Government 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 323 

issued a note declaring that it considered war to 
have been declared between the United States 
and Spain. The next day, April 22nd, the Presi- 
dent issued a proclamation announcing a blockade 
of five of the principal ports of Cuba. To carry 
out his order, a powerful fleet was at once sent 
to Cuban waters and the ports of Havana, 
Matanzas, Cardenas and Bahia Hunda on the 
north coast, and Cienfuegos on the south coast 
were closed against entrance or exit of any 
vessels. At the same time the American Asiatic 
squadron at Hong Kong, under the command of 
Commodore Dewey, sailed for Manila with in- 
structions to destroy the Spanish fleet there and 
to take possession of the Philippine Islands in 
the name of the United States. 

The first prize ship of the war was captured 
on April 22nd. This was the Spanish merchant 
steamer " Buena Ventura" which was captured 
by the Gunboat "Nashville" off Key West. 
Thereafter the capture of Spanish vessels by the 
American Blockading Fleet was a matter of daily 
occurrence. 

The United States promptly made an unequi- 
vocal declaration that in this war the rights of 
neutrals were to be respected ; that free ships 
would make free goods, and that neutral goods 
were to be exempt from seizure, even on the 
enemy's ships and that there would be no resort 



324 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

to privateering. Spain hesitated a few days and 
then issued a declaration to about the same 
effect, with the important exception, that she 
reserved the right to resort to privateering, 
and even intimated that she would exercise 
that right. 

The Challenge Accepted. 

Finally, on April 25th, President McKinley 
sent a special message to Congress recommending 
not a declaration of war, but that a state of war 
with Spain be recognized as existing. A bill in 
accordance with this suggestion was immediately 
passed by both Houses, without a dissenting vote 
and was signed by the President. This com- 
pleted the establishment of a state of war. 
Actually the war began in the act of the Spanish 
Government on April 21st, when it withdrew its 
Minister from Washington ; dismissed the 
American Minister from Madrid; declared that 
a state of war existed and announced that its 
warships were already on their way to fight 
America. 

Thus was the full issue joined between the 
nations, and the United States plunged into a for- 
eign war almost exactly half a century after its 
last preceding foreign war had been brought to 
an end. 




Queen Regent and Alphonso XIII. 





Opening the Spanish Cortez. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. $ 2 7 

European Views. 

European opinion upon the war varied. 
British opinion was chiefly favorable, and Conti- 
nental opinion largely unfavorable to the United 
States. There were, however, in the Continent 
some sane and friendly expressions, from among 
which the following, from the Frankfort Zeitung, 
may profitably be quoted : 

"Hostilities have begun between Spain and 
the United States without a formal declaration of 
war. This fact is perplexing both to the idealist 
and the realist. That Spain should be at war is 
not strange — one is accustomed to this in the 
case of a European monarchy ; but that the 
great American Republic, which in the 1 20 years 
of its existence, has taken to arms but twice, 
and then only under compulsion, should, as it 
were, force a war, is truly remarkable. Spain 
justly enjoys little sympathy, and can expect no 
material aid. The most she can expect is a more 
or less sincere expression of pity which is added 
to the explanation of the absolute justice of her 
cause. The United States, on the other hand, is 
accused of the most flagrant offence against in- 
ternational law, and upon her is turned the wrath 
of a great many eager defenders of justice — of 
men who have forgotten that the political and 
social development of Europe has been an unin- 
terrupted chain of international law-breaking, and 

*9 



328 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

who no longer remember how many of these in, 
justices they themselves have defended. Truly, 
the hyprocrisy of which the Americans are ac- 
cused has a number of representatives even in 
Europe. 

Causes of the War. 
" When the United States begins a war we 
may rest assured that it is not begun in the friv- 
olous way in which it has been, time and again, 
begun by European monarchs, to whom war has 
often been but the satisfaction of a whim or a mere 
pastime. The Spanish-American war has more 
profound causes — causes of which the intelligent 
students of history are not ignorant. It is true 
that the decision of the United States has been 
influenced by material interests, and that politics 
and financial speculations have played a part, but 
these, however skilfully they may have been able 
to take advantage of the existing conditions, 
could never have forced the entire American 
people into a policy of arms. The American 
people who, in a large majority, support its 
representatives and Government, and who now 
unanimously advocate determined action, were 
actuated by the conviction that a stop must be 
put to the horrible state of affairs brought 
about by Spanish misrule in Cuba, at the very 
gates of the country, and by which many 
American citizens were constantly being injured. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 329 

The reports about the terrible results of the plan 
of extermination of General Weyler called forth 
in America a storm of indignation which cannot be 
appeased by protests or diplomatic expression, 
but calls for immediate action. ' These conditions 
must be ended,' has long been the sentiment 
which has now finally materialized. 
A Striking: Contrast. 
11 If one compares with this the way in which, 
two years ago, Europe permitted the cold- 
blooded murder of 100,000 Armenians by the 
Sultan, with whom she is even now on the best 
terms, one cannot but rejoice that there is yet in 
the world a people among whom humanity is not 
an empty term, and who, in their just indignation 
at a committed outrage, can take to the sword. 
The Americans have never paid much attention 
to diplomatic forms and quibbles. Independently 
they conceive their own opinions, independently 
they create their own politics and diplomatic code. 
They have the material and the power for this, 
mentally and physically. They proceed in the 
direction in which they consider it their duty to 
proceed, and pay little attention to the approval 
or disapproval of Europe. The Americans want 
the Cuban outrages stopped in one way or the 
other. If words are of no avail, force will be 
used. What becomes of Spain in the course of 
events is no one's business but her own, 



3$0 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Spain Reaping What She Sowed. 

" Spain is reaping what she has sowed. A 
chapter of the history of the world is now going 
on which has been inevitable. The Spaniard 
could conquer, but not colonize. Even the very 
Spaniards who discovered America, filled the 
world with indignation at their brutalities. They 
destroyed an ancient civilization and sacked 
peaceful, flourishing kingdoms ; in the same spirit 
of bloodthirst and greed for gold did they roast 
the King of the Aztecs, Montezuma, and his 
people for the sake of forcing more gold from 
them. The history of Spanish America is a con- 
tinuous tale of murder and rapine. As soon as 
the American inhabitants became conscious of 
their position, rebellion and separation began. 
In this way Spain has gradually lost all her posses- 
sions on the American continent, and in this way 
will she now lose Cuba, the Pearl of the Antilles. 

"Long enough has she had the opportunity 
of quieting the rising storm by making Cuba free 
and happy, but she has not availed herself of it. 
That system which at home persecuted Jews and 
Moors, opposed every free sentiment, reduced 
almost the entire population to beggary, and, 
even now makes use of instruments of torture, 
could not be a system of freedom, enlightenment 
and public welfare in Cuba. In the waters of 
Cuba two entirely mutually opposed stages of 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 33 1 

civilization are constantly brought into contact 
with each other. In the north is the free 
American, with his sentiments of equality 
and independence, his striving for education and 
activity ; opposed to him is the Spaniard, who 
has learned nothing, and can be of no advantage 
to mankind. 

Spain's Low Estate. 
"The Spanish Kingdom proudly calls itself a 
Catholic monarchy, and has ever striven to act 
as the defender of religion — the servant of the 
clergy. In Spain the clerical ideal has material- 
ized ; the clergy is all-powerful, the Government 
her humble servant. The rest is in the same 
plan — the ruling classes unscrupulously seeking 
selfish ends, the people impoverished, coarse and 
ignorant. Out of 17,000,000 inhabitants, barely 
j, 000, 000 can read and write. To those few 
schoolmasters that Spain does possess, neither 
the State nor the community pays a sum large 
enough to keep them from starving. At the same 
time 32,000 monks and 15,000 nuns are living 
most splendidly ; they have everything whenever 
and how they wish it. Spain may have artists 
and orators, but she has no mental energy and no 
power, because she lacks freedom of mind. A 
people who can only mumble prayers and finds 
pleasure in bullfights can never found civilization 
and public welfare. 



332 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

"In the present war, free, Protestant Anglo- 
Saxons are opposed to a Latin nation which is 
ruled by the clergy. It is a new chapter of a con- 
flict old in history. Who will and must be the 
final victor it is easy to see. It is true that, for the 
beginning, Spain has in her control, larger and 
better trained bodies of soldiers than the United 
States ; but the Union can certainly procure these, 
and possesses, at all events, more endurance, 
because she is not only superior in population, 
but is in control of almost inexhaustible resources, 
whereas Spain is, at the very beginning of the 
war, almost bankrupt. 

Important Step in American Politics. 

"The task the United States has undertaken 
in proceeding to free Cuba from the Spanish 
yoke is certainly a most important step in the 
development of the politics of the American hemi- 
sphere. The doctrine, " America for the Ameri- 
cans," is made to apply, not only to the continent, 
but to the islands as well. Cuba is, geograph- 
ically, the most important, and the misrule of the 
Spanish on that island has long enough been 
challenging American interference. It would be 
a waste of energy to make too many conjectures 
as to the possibilities of the war, but one thing is 
assured, an easy victory would certainly encourage 
the Americans to continue in this new policy. 
They would attempt further liberations, and would 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 333 

further strengthen their system of self-satisfied 
exclusiveness. This is sufficient reason why the 
European States should, though observing strict 
neutrality, keep a wary eye on the happenings 
over there. 

"For the Americans, however, the same law 
exists which has prevailed throughout the entire 
history of mankind, and the abuse of which has 
ever been revenged most terribly on nations and 
monarchs — that is, the law of temperance. If the 
Americans abuse this law, not even the fact that 
they are Americans will protect them from the 
fatal consequences of their recklessness. For 
over them, as well as over Spain, the indisputable 
history of the world sits in judgment." 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE STORY OF SPAIN ROMAN DAYS IN SPAIN PELAYO 

RISE OF SPANISH POWER THE MODERN TI- 
BERIUS THE DECLINE OF SPAIN FERDINAND' S 

BAD REIGN THE CARLIST REVOLT THE LATEST 

CHAPTER PORTO RICO CHARACTER OF THE 

ISLAND THE CAPITAL AN ANCIENT WALLED 

CITY— THE PHILIPPINES SPANISH SETTLEMENTS 

IN I565 INVADED BY OTHER NATIONS 

GREATLY OPPRESSED AND TAXED SOME NATIVES 

UNSUBDUED NATIVES MILD AND AMIABLE 

TRADE OF THE ISLANDS FOREIGN COMMERCE 

BEGINS. 



T IS a common complaint made by every gen, 
eration, that we have fallen upon dull and 
uneventful times. There are no great things 
happening nowadays, such as those of which we 
read of in history. But the complaint is, at least in 
our day, without foundation. We speak of the fall 
of the Roman Empire as a colossal event, and so it 
was. But to-day we are witnessing the fall of an 
empire which once was in its way as great as that of 
Rome. The Spanish Empire, which was founded 
upon the ruins of Rome, and which was once fully 
comparable with Rome in all its glory, has passed 
through the various stages of decline and now 

(334) 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 335 

seems tottering and hastening to its utter fall. 
There was a time when Spain dominated the whole 
of Europe, with the exception of the British Isles. 
She claimed half of Africa, a great share of Asia 
and all of America. To-day she is scarcely a third- 
class power in Europe, the least of all foreign 
land-holders in Africa, and sees the last of her 
Asian and American possessions slipping from 
her palsied grasp. 

No empire ever began its course with higher 
promise than Spain. The Iberian Peninsula is 
singularly favored by nature. Its climate is 
genial, its soil well watered and fertile, and 
abounding in useful and precious minerals. Its 
geographical position gives it command of en- 
trance to and exit from the Mediterranean Sea, 
and ample frontage on that sea, and on the 
Atlantic Ocean, ready access to all the lands of 
Southern Europe, and close connection with 
Africa. Nor were the people formerly unworthy 
of their environment and opportunities. Who the 
original inhabitants of the country were is not 
exactly known. Probably they were identical with 
those "fragments of forgotten peoples" who 
occupy the Northwest corner of the peninsula 
and whom we call the Basques. The Basques are 
solitary and unique among the nations of the 
world. They seem to belong to the children of 
neither Ham, Shem, nor Japheth. Their language 



33^ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

is related to no other now in existence. Some 
say it was the tongue used by Adam and Eve in 
the Garden of Eden, and others, that it was 
brought to Spain by Tubal Cain before the con- 
fusion of tongues at Babel. Still others say it is 
the language of the angels, which the Devil once 
tried to learn, but abandoned in despair, when it 
took him seven years to learn three words. No 
wonder if, as they say, in that language you spell 
a word Solomon and pronounce it Nebuchad- 
nezzar, 

Roman Days in Spain. 
But whatever the original stock of Spain, the 
advantages of a composite population were soon 
added. First, the Celts moved in, and then 
Phoenicians, Greeks, and Egyptians. After them 
came the Carthaginians, and then the Romans. 
The Romans found Spain the hardest of all 
countries to subdue, but they accomplished the 
task after an inch by inch struggle, in the time of 
Augustus Caesar, and then the Spaniards became 
more Roman than the Romans themselves. It 
was in Spain that the literature and arts of Rome 
attained their well-nigh best development. Spain 
gave to Rome one of the greatest of her Em- 
perors, Trajan, and such literary lights as Martial, 
Lucan, Seneca and Quintilian. All over Spain 
you will find cities still bearing Roman names, 
such as Leon, which comes from Legio, Saragossa, 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 337 

or Caesar Augusta, Pampeluna, or Pompeiopolis, 
and Merida, or Emerita Augusta. After the 
Romans came the conquerors of Rome, the 
Goths and Vandals, who established there the 
most lasting of all the Gothic kingdoms. The 
name of the Vandals is preserved in that of the 
province of Andalusia. And finally there was an 
influx of Moors from Africa, thus completing the 
complex mixture of Spanish blood, and well 
entitling the Spaniard of to-day to call himself a 
Hidalgo, which means, the son of somebody. 
Pelayo. 
It was in the year 409, that the Goths and 
Vandals entered Spain and set up there the King- 
dom of the Visigoths. They established a dynasty 
which remained unbroken until the invasion of 
the Saracens. Among the monarchs of this line, 
were Theodoric, who conquered Attila at Chalons, 
and Recared, who, about the year 600, reunited 
the Goths with the Roman Catholic Church. In 
the seventh century the Saracens landed at 
Gibraltar, and, in the course of a few years, con- 
quered the country. They slew Roderic, the 
Gothic King, and drove the remnant of his people 
into the mountains of Asturias, where, under the 
famous Pelayo, in 718 to ^y } were laid the 
foundations of a kingdom which was destined one 
day to expel its conquerors. The Saracens 
established two kingdoms, Cordova and Grenada, 



338 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

in which learning and civilization soon advanced 
to a high pitch. They made several attempts to 
advance further into Europe but were overwhelm- 
ingly defeated at Tours, in 732 by Charles Martel, 

The dynasty founded by Pelayo, in Asturias, 
in 718, lasted until 1027. Then the kingdom was 
divided into the two separate kingdoms of Leon 
and Castile, which were reunited in 1230. The 
kingdom of Navarre was founded in 885, and 
united with Castile in 15 12. The kingdom of 
Aragon was founded in 1035, and united with 
Castile in 1 5 1 6. The county of Barcelona became 
a part of Aragon in 1 1 3 1 . The present kingdom 
of Portugal was originally a province of Castile, 
but became an independent kingdom in 1 140. 

The first king of all Christian Spain, includ- 
ing Aragon, Navarre, Castile and Leon, was 
Alfonso I, who reigned from 1 104 to 1 134. Aided 
by French and English volunteers he waged per- 
petual war against the Saracens and greatly 
impaired their power. His successors continued 
the conflict, and, little by little, year by year, 
drove the Saracens back toward Africa. 
Rise of Spanish Power. 

Cordova was captured in 1236, and then 
only the Kingdom of Grenada remained to the 
Saracens. It resisted for two hundred and fifty 
years the attacks of the Spaniards, but finally fell 
at the end of the fifteenth century. At that time 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 339 

Isabella of Castile and her husband, Ferdinand of 
Aragon, practically united the whole of Spain 
under one sceptre. Their reign extended from 
1474 to 15 1 2, and was marked by the final expul- 
sion of the Moors, the discovery of America by 
Christopher Columbus, and the organization of the 
Inquisition. At this time Spain began to grow 
into a great European power. From this 
reign dates its modern history. But in the 
very events which made its greatness, Spain 
received the seeds of evil which have led to 
its fall. For one thing, the expulsion of the 
Moors deprived the country of its best industrial 
element. The expulsion of the Jews, accom- 
plished a little earlier, deprived the nation of its 
best tradesmen and scholars. There was little 
left except soldiers, priests, and a lazy and 
ignorant peasantry. Such a nation might achieve 
great conquests, but could not establish a lasting 
Empire. 

Early in the fifteenth century came the reign 
of Charles I, better known as the great German 
Emperor Charles V. The history of his reign 
was the history of all Europe. His authority 
extended over all Germany and a large part of 
what is now France, half of Italy and the entire 
Western Hemisphere. He was constantly at war 
with some power or another, and at last, weary 
of conflict, and heart-sick at the failure of his 



34-0 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

scheme to make his sway over the Holy Roman 
Empire hereditary, he resigned his crown. That 
was in in 1556. He gave the Empire to his 
brother Ferdinand, and his hereditary dominions, 
Spain, Italy, the Low Countries, and America, to 
his son Philip. 

Then he retired to a monastery and died two 
years later. His son, Philip II, became the most 
powerful monarch in Europe. 

The modern Tiberius. 

But his reign was marked with excessive 
cruelty. He was despotic and selfish to an ex- 
treme degree and has been well called the Tiber- 
ius of modern history. He aimed to add the 
British Isles to his dominion by his marriage with 
Queen Mary of England, but was disappointed in 
that ambition. He resolved to destroy Protes- 
tantism in his realm, and to that end established 
the Inquisition in full force, not only in Spain but 
also in Italy and the Netherlands. In the latter 
country he was stubbornly resisted by William 
the Silent. After a bloody war in which the 
Spanish Commander, the Duke of Alva, was guilty 
of such cruelties as the world had not seen since 
the time of Nero, the independence of the Nether- 
lands was gained. That was a serious blow to 
Spain. It so enraged Philip that he murdered his 
own son, Charles, for the fault of expressing 
sympathy with the rebels. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 34 1 

As a compensation for the loss of the Nether- 
lands, however, Philip conquered Portugal and 
added it to Spain. Then he went to war with 
England, partly because it had become a Protes- 
tant country, partly because it had aided the 
rebels in the Netherlands, and partly because 
Queen Elizabeth would not marry him and give 
him her Kingdom. He fitted out in 1588 the 
Invincible Armada, the largest fleet the world 
had ever seen, and sent it against England. Bad 
weather and the English fleet entirely destroyed 
it, with the loss of more than 20,000 Spanish 
lives. At the same time English captains attacked 
the Spanish colonies and Spanish fleets in 
America and inflicted great loss upon them. 

As if to get revenge for the reverses he suf- 
fered in foreign wars, Philip inflicted terrible 
persecutions upon many of his own subjects. 
There were still in Spain about half a million 
descendants of the Saracens, who were by far the 
most business-like and enterprising people in that 
nation. In 1609 Philip ordered them all to leave 
Spain within thirty days, under penalty of death. 
By that mad act he deprived Spain of five- 
sixths of its wealth and commerce, reduced its 
revenue to less than half what it had been, and 
inflicted upon the nation a blow from which it 
never recovered. 



342 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The Decline of Spain. 

Thereafter the decline of Spain was steady 
and rapid. France seized all the provinces 
north of the Pyrenees. The last hold upon Ger- 
many was broken. Portugal regained its inde- 
pendence. Dissensions and rebellions arose in 
Spain itself. And by the year 1 700 the kingdom 
was practically a wreck. Its Sovereign was de- 
pendent upon foreign powers for his title to the 
throne. Again and again Spain was invaded by 
the Portuguese, Dutch and English. In 1704 the 
English seized the great fortress of Gibraltar, 
which they have ever since held. In the latter 
part of that century England took possession of a 
number of the West Indian Islands. Then the 
Napoleonic wars came on. At first Spain sided 
with France against England and a disastrous 
war ensued. The Spanish fleet was destroyed in 
the battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the 
Island of Trinidad was taken by the English. 
Then Spain was compelled in 1803, to give the 
great American province of Louisiana to 
France. Two years later the new Spanish fleet 
was destroyed by Nelson at Trafalgar. 

In 1808 Napoleon deposed the Spanish 
King, Ferdinand, and put his own brother, Joseph 
Bonaparte, on the throne. This caused war be- 
tween France and Spain. English troops came to 
the assistance of Spain, and the gigantic struggle 




General Fitzhugh l,ee. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 345 

known as the Peninsular War began. The British 
troops in Spain were led by the Duke of Well- 
ington, and in several hard fought campaigns 
they defeated Napoleon's ablest generals and best 
troops. 

Ferdinand's Bad Reign* 

In 1 8 14 Ferdinand was restored to this 
throne. He soon showed himself one of the 
worst Kings the country ever had. He abolished 
Parliament and made himself an absolute despot. 
He re-established the Inquisition. His tyranny 
drove all the Spanish colonies in Mexico, Central 
America and South America to revolt. In the 
course of a dozen years, these latter won their 
independence. Florida was surrendered to the 
United States. And then, in all the hemisphere 
that once was hers, Spain had nothing left but the 
islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. So bad was the 
King's government that a large part of the 
Spanish people wished to depose him and put 
his brother, Don Carlos, on the throne. 
The Carlist ReTolt. 

In 1833 tne King died and by his will left his 
throne to his infant daughter, Isabella. Then the 
followers of Don Carlos openly revolted and the 
first Carlist war began. The whole reign of Isa- 
bella was marked with shameful mis-government, 
with frequent outbreaks of the Carlists and with 
various attempts at revolution. Several times the 

20 



346 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Queen had to leave the throne and let General 
Espartero govern the country. Her personal 
life was marked with immoralities that were the 
scandal of all Europe. Finally, in 1868, she was 
driven from the throne by a revolution, and Mar- 
shal Serrano, one of her lovers, and the reputed 
father of her son, became the head of a pro- 
visional government. In 1870 she formally ab- 
dicated in favor of her son. 

But the Spanish people had had enough of 
that family, so Amadeus, Duke of Aosta, son of 
Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy, was called to the 
throne. He had a stormy reign of three years 
and then abdicated. For two years thereafter, 
Spain had a succession of dictatorships and at- 
tempts at republican government, and a contin- 
uous struggle with the Carlists. At last Serrano 
regained supreme power, and, in January, 1875, 
gave the crown to Prince Alfonso, son of the Ex- 
Queen Isabella. The Prince accepted and was 
recognized by all the European powers as King. 
The Carlists were soon subdued and peace re- 
stored. Then for a few years the much troubled 
country had peace. 

The Latest Chapter. 

Alfonso I. married the Spanish Princess, 
Mercedes. After her death he married Marie 
Christina, an Austrian Princess. At the end of 
1885 he died leaving two infant daughters, the 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 347 

elder of whom became nominally Queen for a 
short time. But soon after the widowed Queen, 
Maria Christina, gave birth to a son, who, under 
the name of Alfonso XIII. became nominal King 
of Spain. The Queen mother continued to 
reign as Queen Regent, and on the whole exer- 
cised her authority wisely and well. The influ- 
ences of the army and the corrupt political rings 
which controlled the Ministry and Parliament 
were, however, too much for her to resist. Being 
of foreign birth she realized that she must do as 
the Spanish leaders wished her to do. In conse- 
quence ill-government continued to prevail in the 
few colonies that were left to Spain, and 
rebellions occurred in Cuba and the Philippine 
Islands. 

Porto Rico. 

Elsewhere we have told the story of Spain's 
chief colony in the Antilles. That of her second, 
and only other in late years, is quickly told. 

Porto Rico was sighted by Columbus on the 
1 6th of November, 1493. Three days later he 
anchored in the bay, the description of which 
corresponds to that of Mayagues. In 15 10 and 
151 1 Ponce de Leon visited the islands and 
founded a settlement and gave it the name of 
San Juan Bautista. Landings were effected by 
the English in 1702 at Arecibo, in 1743 at 
Ponce, and in 1797 at the capital, but each time 



34-8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

they were repulsed by the Spaniards. An at- 
tempt of the people to obtain independence after 
three years of turbulence was frustrated in 1823. 
As to the Spanish administration of the islands, it 
differs but little, if at all from that imposed upon 
Cuba. 

The island is a parallelogram in general 
outline, 103 miles from east to west, and from 37 
to 43 miles across. San Juan, the principal town, 
is of considerable strategic importance. It is 
distant from the Cape Verde Islands, 2,100 miles; 
from Key West, 1,050; from Hampton Roads, 
1,420. 

The population in 1887 numbered 798,565, 
of whom 474,933 were white, 246,647 mulattoes, 
and 76,905 negroes. Slavery was abolished in 
1873; three years after the colony was declared to 
be a representative 'province of Spain and divided 
into seven departments. 

Character of tlie Island. 

The most of the population is located on the 
lowlands at the sea front of the hill. For lack of 
roads the interior is accessible only by mule trails 
or saddle paths, and it is covered with vast forests 
There are interesting caves in the mountains, 
those of Aguas Buenas and Ciales being the 
most notable. Rivers and brooks are numerous, 
forty-seven very considerable rivers having been 
enumerated. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 349 

The principal minerals found in Porto Rico 
are gold, carbonates and sulphides of copper, mag- 
netic oxide of iron in large quantities. Lignite is 
found at Utuado and Moca, and also yellow amber. 
A large variety of marbles, limestones and other 
building stones are deposited on the island, but 
these resources are very undeveloped. There 
are salt works at Guanica and Salinac, on the 
south coast, and at Cape Rojo, on the west, and 
this constitutes the principal mineral industry in 
Porto Rico. Hot springs and mineral waters are 
found at Juan Diaz, San Sebastian, San Lorenzo 
and Ponce, but the most famous is at Coamo, 
near the town of Santa Isabel. The climate is 
hot, but much alleviated by the prevailing north- 
east winds. A temperature as high as 117 
degrees Fahrenheit has been recorded, but it 
seldom exceeds 97 degrees Fahrenheit. The 
rainy season lasts from August to December, and 
the rainfall is at times so copious north of the 
mountains as to inundate cultivated fields and pro- 
duce swamps. The rainfall for 1878 was 81 
inches. Its mean annual average is 64*^ inches. 

The prevailing diseases are yellow fever, 
elephantiasis, tetanus, marsh fever and dysentery. 

Porto Rico is unusually fertile, and its domi- 
nant industries are agricultural and lumbering. 
In elevated regions the vegetation of the temper- 
ate zone is not unknown. There are more than 



35° WAR WITH SPAIN. 

five hundred varieties of trees found in the forests, 
and the plains are full of palms, orange and other 
trees. The principal crops are sugar, coffee, 
tobacco, cotton and maize, but bananas, rice, pine- 
apples and many other fruits are important. 

Railways are in their infancy, and cart roads 
are deficient. Telegraphic lines connect the 
principal towns, while submarine cables run from 
San Juan to St. Thomas and Jamaica. 
The Capital. 

San Juan is situated on a long and narrow 
island, separated from the main island at one end 
by a shallow arm of the sea, over which is a bridge 
connecting it with the mainland, which runs out 
at this point in a long sand spit, some nine miles 
in length, apparently to meet the smaller island ; 
at the other end the island ends in a rugged bluff, 
or promontory, some hundred feet high, and three- 
fourths of a mile distant from the main island. 
This promontory is crowned by Morro Castle, the 
principal fortification of the town. At this end of 
the island is the entrance to the harbor, with a 
narrow channel and rocky bottom, so close under 
the headland that one can almost leap ashore 
from a passing vessel. The water here is 
some thirty feet deep. To a mariner unac- 
quainted with the locality, or, when a norther 
is blowing, this entrance is one of difficulty and 
danger. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 35 1 

After rounding the bluff one finds a broad 
and beautiful bay, landlocked, and with a good 
depth of water, which is being increased by 
dredging. It is by far the best harbor in Porto 
Rico, and probably as good a one as can be found 
in the West Indies. However, it has its draw- 
backs. Sailing vessels are frequently detained by 
the northerly winds during the winter months, and 
even steamers with a draught of over twenty feet 
are sometimes delayed, but these occasions are 
rare. When they do occur, the "boca," or 
entrance to the harbor, is a mass of seething, 
foaming water, and presents an imposing spec- 
tacle. To see steamers of sixteen to eighteen 
feet draught enter in a severe norther, is a sight 
to be remembered, as the great waves lift them 
up and seem about to hurl them forward to de- 
struction. At such times there is need of a 
staunch vessel, steady nerves, and a captain well 
acquainted with the channel, as no pilot will 
venture out. The island upon which the city 
stands is shaped much like an arm and a hand ; 
it is about two and one-quarter miles long, and 
averages less than one-quarter of a mile in width. 
The greatest width is a little over half a mile in 
the portion representing the hand, which also 
contains the major part of the city. 



35 ^ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

An Ancient 'Walled City. 

San Juan is a perfect specimen of a walled 
town, with portcullis, moat, gates and battlements. 
Built over two hundred and fifty years ago, it 
is still in good condition and repair. The walls 
are picturesque, and represent a stupendous work 
and cost in themselves. Inside the walls, the 
city is laid off in regular squares, six parallel 
streets running in the direction of the length of 
the island and seven at right angles. The houses 
are closely and compactly built of brick, usually 
of two stories, stuccoed on the outside and 
painted in a variety of colors. The upper floors 
are occupied by the more respectable people, 
while the ground floors, almost without excep- 
tion, are given up to negroes and the poorer 
classes, who crowd one upon the other in the 
most appalling manner. The population within 
the walls is estimated at twenty thousand, and 
most of it lives on the ground floors. In one 
small room with a flimsy partition a whole family 
will reside. 

The ground floors of the whole town reek 
with filth, and conditions are most unsanitary. In 
a tropical country, where disease readily pre- 
vails, the consequence of such herding may be 
easily inferred. There is no running water in 
the town. The entire population depends on 
rainwater caught on the flat roofs of the buildings 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 353 

and conducted ,o the cistern, which occupies the 
greater part of the courtyard that is an essential 
part of Spanish houses the world over, but that 
here, on account of the crowded conditions, is 
small. There is no sewerage, except for surface 
water and sinks, while vaults are in every house 
and occupy whatever remaining space there may 
be in the patios not taken up by the cisterns. 
The risk of contaminating the water is great, and 
in dry seasons the supply is entirely exhausted. 
Epidemics are frequent, and the town is alive 
with vermin, fleas, cockroaches, mosquitoes and 
dogs. 

The streets are wider than in the older 
part of Havana, and will admit two carriages 
abreast. The sidewalks are narrow, and in 
places will accommodate only one person. The 
pavements are of a composition manufactured in 
England from slag, pleasant and even and dur- 
able when no heavy strain is brought to bear 
upon them, but easily broken and unfit for heavy 
traffic. The streets are swept once a day by 
hand and, strange to say, are kept very clean. 
From its tropical situation the town should be 
healthy, but it is not. The soil under the city is 
clay mixed with lime, so hard as to be almost 
like rock. It is consequently impervious to water 
and furnishes a good natural drainage. The 
trade wind blows strong and fresh, and through 



354 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the harbor runs a stream of sea water at a speed 
of not less than three miles an hour. With these 
conditions, no contagious diseases, if properly 
taken care of, could exist ; without them, the place 
would be a veritable plague spot. 

Besides the town within the walls, there are 
small portions just outside, called the Marina 
and Puerta de Tierra, containing two thousand or 
three thousand inhabitants each. There are also 
two suburbs, one, San Turce, approached by the 
only road leading out of the city, and the other, 
Catano, across the bay, reached by ferry. The 
Marina and the two suburbs are situated on 
sandy points or spits, and the latter are sur- 
rounded by mangrove swamps. The entire pop- 
ulation of the city and suburbs, according to the 
census of 1887, was twenty-seven thousand. It 
is now (1896) estimated at thirty thousand. One- 
half of the population consists of negroes and 
mixed races. 

The Philippines. 

The Philippine Islands likewise demand 
notice, as among the most splendid and most 
neglected colonial possessions of Spain. 

On May 21, 1521, the Portuguese Fernando 
de Magalhaens (Magellan) landed on a little 
island south of Samar on the eastern coast of the 
archipelago. Forty-six days later he perished off 
the east coast of Cebu, or Zebo, one of the cen- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 355 

tral islands. This exploit made the country 
known to Europe. It was not until the close of 
the sixteenth century that the archipelago passed 
under Spanish domination, during the reign of 
Philip II. 

Spanish Settlement in 1565. 

About the middle of the century an expedi- 
tion sailed from Mexico in five ships, but accom- 
plished little. In 1565 Don Miguel Lopez de 
Legazpi reached the islands and founded a 
Spanish settlement at the town of Cebu, and it 
is in his correspondence that the name of Philip- 
pine Islands is first recorded. It was given in 
honor of his sovereign. Under this monarch an 
ecclesiastical organization, principally of monastic 
orders, was established. As H. A. Webster 
says, "The subjugation of the islands, thanks to 
the exertions of the Roman Catholic missionaries 
and the large powers placed in their hands by 
Philip, was effected, not of course, without fight- 
ing and bloodshed, but without those appalling 
massacres and depopulation which characterized 
the conquest of South America. Contests with 
frontier rebellious tribes, attacks by pirates and 
reprisals on the part of the Spaniards combined 
with volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and torna- 
does to break the comparative monotony of the 
subsequent history." 



356 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Invaded by Other Xations. 

In 1602 five Dutch ships appeared in the 
Philippine Islands to blockade the forts, but were 
driven off by the Spaniards. Incursions were also 
made by Chinese pirates at different points. The 
most celebrated of these was the invasion made 
by Li Ma Hon, who, with two thousand men 
landed in Manila in 1572, but was defeated and 
driven off by the Spaniards and natives under the 
leadership of Juan de Talcedo. In 1762 the 
capital was taken by the British, but was restored 
to Spain two years afterward for a ransom of 
$5,000,000 which was never collected. 

Greatly Oppressed and Taxed. 

The history of these islands during the 
nineteenth century has been one of oppression, 
restriction of commerce, and ferocious taxation, 
in which the ecclesiastics used their influence for 
the support of the Spanish sovereignty. The last 
revolt broke out in 1896. The conspiracy was 
discovered before the day appointed for the 
rising, and the plans of the insurrectionists were 
disconcerted. Yet, when the authorities pro- 
ceeded to arrest those known to be involved, the 
rebels mustered in force amounting to several 
thousand, but were dispersed when they offered 
battle in the neighborhood of Manila. The in- 
surgents established themselves in the province 
of Cavite, on the south shore of Manila Bay, 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 357 

eight miles southwest of the port of Manila, and 
held it until the arrival of twenty-five thousand 
reinforcements from Spain and a considerable 
naval fleet enabled the Government to suppress 
them. 

Some Natives Unsubdued. 

In the inaccessible mountainous parts of the 
island there are still unsubdued savages. In the 
last census returns the number of natives not 
subject to the civil government and paying no 
tribute, is given as 602,853, while the number of 
natives paying tribute is returned as 5,501,356. 

The climate of the Philippines varies little 
from that of other mountainous and tropical 
countries. The range of the thermometer during 
the year is from a little over 60 degrees to about 
90. The year may be divided into three seasons : 
the first, cold and dry, begins in November ; the 
second, warm, but still dry, begins in March, the 
greatest heat being experienced from April first 
to the end of May ; and the third, which is exces- 
sively wet, continues from June to the middle of 
November. 

Natives Mild and Amiable. 

Generally speaking, the natives are mild and 
amiable, predisposed to religious observances, 
extremely superstitious, and very hospitable. 
Those of Batangas, Cagayan and Southern Ilocos, 
are better and more industrious laborers than 



35§ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

those of the other provinces. During their youth 
they work with energy and a certain mental vigor, 
but on reaching a more advanced age lapse into 
indolence, which is one of their greatest defects. 

The women are averse to idleness, have a 
spirit of enterprise, and often engage in various 
trades with success. They are economical, and 
sacrifice themselves cheerfully for those to whom 
they are attached. 

Trade of the Islands. 

Before the days of Spanish rule there was 
considerable commercial intercourse between the 
Philippines and China and Japan, but this, which 
would naturally have developed enormously if the 
Spanish trade between Manila and America had 
been left free, was interrupted, and at times 
almost completely stopped, by absurd restrictions, 
devised to secure to Spain a monopoly of the 
American trade. For a long period only a single 
galleon, and that under Government supervision, 
was allowed to proceed yearly from Manila to 
Acapulco, the value of the cargo each way being 
restricted within a prescribed sum. Direct trade 
with Europe, via the Cape of Good Hope, began 
in 1 764 ; but, as if the exclusion from it of all but 
Spanish ships was not sufficient, in 1785 a 
monopoly of this commerce was bestowed on the 
Royal Company of the Philippines. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 359 

Foreign Commerce Begins. 

With the close of the eighteenth century a 
certain amount of liberty began to be conceded to 
foreign vessels. The first English commercial 
house was established in Manila in 1809, and in 
1834 the monopoly of the Royal Company ex- 
pired. Manila remained the only port for foreign 
trade till 1842, when Cebu was also opened. 
Jamboanga (Mindanao), Iloilo (Pansay), Sual 
(Luzon), Legazpi or Albany (Luzon), and Taclo- 
ban (Leyte), are now in the same category, but 
only Manila, Iloilo and Cebu have proved of real 
importance, as they are the only ports where 
foreign bound vessels have hitherto loaded. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



RESOURCES OF THE TWO COMBATANTS COMPARED 

ARMIES AND NAVIES THE SPANISH NAVY 

UNITED STATES SHIPS NORTH ATLANTIC SQUAD- 
RON FLYING SQUADRON PACIFIC STATION 

ASIATIC STATION — UNASSIGNED SPECIAL SER- 
VICE MONITORS TRAINING SHIPS AUXILIARY 

FLEET THE SPANISH SOLDIER THE CIGARETTE 

HIS SOLACE BULLIED, ILL-TREATED AND ROBBED 

THE ARMY IN CUBA SPANISH PRONUNCIATION 

WEST INDIAN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES CUBAN 

PROPER NAMES SPANISH GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

SPANISH PROPER NAMES NAMES OF SPANISH 

SHIPS. 



tt 



NEQUALLY matched, in many respects, 
were the two combatants which thus 
joined issue for the dread arbitrament 
of war. In age, in size, in wealth, in intelligence, 
the contrast was great. Spain dated back, as a 
civilized Power, to before the Christian Era, while 
the United States was scarcely a century and a 
quarter old. Spain numbered 18,000,000; the 
United States 70,000,000. Spain was all but 
bankrupt, and her people ignorant.; the United 
States overflowing with wealth and her people 
among the most intelligent in the world. 

(360) 





.^.jSiSsrfU' 



x\ 




Prominent Officers of the United States Army and Navy. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 363 

Let us cite a few statistics. Spain has an 
area of 197,670 square miles, or about twice that 
of the single State of North Carolina ; while the 
United States has something more than 3,000,000, 
or more than fifteen times as much. The popula- 
tion of the United States was nearly four times 
as great as that of Spain. The annual revenue 
of Spain was only $137,000,000, and that of the 
United States more than $500,000,000. Yet 
Spain's public debt was $1,232,912,500, while that 
of the United States was only $1,045,000,000. 
The foreign trade of Spain was only $260,000,000 
a year, while that of the United States was 
$1,645,000,000. In Spain more than 68 per cent, 
of the people could neither read nor write, while 
in the United States only 14 per cent, were 
illiterate. In Spain there were few skilled 
mechanics or engineers, and no shipyards in 
which first-class warships could be built, while 
in the United States were millions of trained 
artisans and some of the best shipyards in the 
world. 

Armies and Navies. 

In army and navy, however, Spain was, at 
least on paper, no mean antagonist. Of course 
the greater population of the United States made 
her military resources by far the greater. But 
Spain's actual standing army was much larger 
than ours. It consisted of no less than 120,000 

21 



3^4 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 



men on a peace footing, and 480,000 men on a 
war footing, besides a colonial army of 236,000. 
Against this the United States had only 26,000 
men. 

The Spanish navy was also much the larger. 
It contained 126 steam vessels and 22,000 men, 
while our navy contained only 54 vessels and 
13,000 men. But our ships were, on the whole, 
better than Spain's, and we were able to add to 
their number, by building and by purchase, in- 
comparably more rapidly than she. Indeed she 
was scarcely able to get any new ships, while 
those added to our navy were counted by the 
dozen. 

The Spanish Navy. 

As the war was evidently, from the begin- 
ning, destined to be chiefly naval, interest centred 
most upon the rival navies. That of Spain, in- 
cluding ships building, but excluding transports, 
training ships, and other non-effective vessels, 
was as follows: 

Launched Building 

Battleship, 1st class 1 .... 1 

Port Defence Ships 1 

Cruisers, 1st class, a 6 

" " " b 2 

" 2d class 6 .... 1 

" 3d class a 28 .... 3 

" " " b 71 . 

Torpedo Craft, 1st class . . .36 . 
" "2d class . . . 2 . 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 365 

The single battleship credited to Spain in 
the above table was the Pelayo, launched in 1887, 
described as follows: Displacement, 9,900 tons; 
length, 330 ft.; breadth of beam, 66 ft.; draught, 
24 ft. 9 in.; engines, 6,800 horse-power; speed, 
15.8 knots; principal armament, 2 12^ in., 2 11 
in., 1 6yi in., and 12 4^ in. breech-loaders with 
6 quick-firing guns; protection, steel belt, 18 in. 
maximum thickness, and 1 1 in. on the barbettes. 
All the first-class cruisers a were new vessels, and 
nearly all still in the hands of the constructors, 
three not yet being launched. Six of them were 
well protected by 1 2 in. steel belts, and the heavy 
gun emplacements had 8 in. steel armoring. 
These — the Infanta Maria Teresa, Vizcaya, 
Almirante, Oquendo, Cataluna, Cardinal, Cis- 
neros, and Princesa de Asturias, were of 7,000 
tons, 364 feet in length, 65 feet beam, 13,000 
horse-power and 20 knots speed. 

The first named, built at Bilbao, made 18.48 
knots at her official natural-draught trials, during 
8 hours, steaming at sea, thus slightly exceeding 
the contract. In these cruisers, two 1 1 in. guns 
were mounted singly on barbette turrets fore and 
aft, and there were five 5^ in. guns on each 
broadside, the pairs severally nearest to the bows 
and the stern being sponsoned out, so as to fire 
severally in those directions, and have a wide 
firing arc on the beam. 



366 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The Emperador Carlos V., launched at 
Cadiz, in 1892, was a still more powerful ar- 
mored cruiser (9,235 tons), with a larger light 
armament than the others, and engines of 15,000 
horse-power, expected to give a speed of 20 
knots. The first-class cruisers b in the above 
statement were the old broadside ships Numancia 
and Vittoria (from 1863 and 1867), which, having 
been reboilered, were counted as cruisers mainly 
for convoying purposes. Of smaller vessels, 
Spain possessed two remarkable second-class 
deck-protected cruisers — the sister ships Alfonso 
XIII. and Lepanto, 4,800 tons, which had their 
guns very advantageously placed, and, with 
12,000 horse-power, were expected to steam at 
20 knots. The third-class cruisers a in the above 
statement include five 1,130 ton, 14-knot vessels of 
the Infanta Isabel class, and the torpedo gunboats, 
of which 3 (of the Sharpshooter class) were in 
course of construction. In the b list the older 
and slower gunboats are grouped. Among the 
torpedo-boats the Ariete (97 tons, 147 ft. 6 in. 
long) was a remarkable craft, built at Chiswick, 
which steamed 26.1 knots at her trials. 
United States Snips. 

The following is a complete list of the effec- 
tive ships of the United States Navy, at the 
outbreak of the war, including some of those pur- 
chased at that time : 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 367 

North Atlantic Squadron. 

Rear-Admiral William T. Sampson Commanding. 

New- York (flagship), Captain French E. 
Chadvvick. Steel armored cruiser, 8,480 tons; 
17,400 horse-power; 21 knots speed. Armament 
— Six 8-inch breech-loading rifles, twelve 4-inch 
rapid-fire guns, eight 6-pounder, four 1 -pounder 
rapid-fire guns and four Gatling guns. 

Iowa, Captain Robley D. Evans. Steel sea- 
going battleship, 1 1,296 tons: 1 1,000 horse-power; 
1 6 knots speed. Armament — Four 1 2-inch breech- 
loading rifles, eight 8-inch breech-loading rifles, 
six 4-inch rapid-fire guns, twenty 6-pounder and 
six 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and four Gatling 
guns. 

Indiana, Captain Henry C. Taylor. Steel 
coast-line battleship, 10,288 tons; 9,000 horse- 
power; 15 knots speed. Armament — Four 13- 
inch breech-loading rifles, eight 8-inch breech- 
loading rifles, four 6-inch rapid-fire guns, twenty 
6-pounder and six 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and 
four Gatlings. 

Puritan, Captain Purnell F. Harrington. 
Iron, low-freeboard coast-defence monitor; 6,000 
tons; 3,700 horse-power; 12 knots speed. Ar- 
mament — Four 12-inch breech-loading rifles, six 
4-inch rapid-fire guns, four 3-pounder rapid-fire 
guns, four 37mm. Hotchkiss revolving cannon 
and four Gatlings. 



368 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Terror, Captain Nicholl Ludlow. Iron, low- 
freeboard coast-defence monitor, 3,990 tons; 
3,000 horse-power; 10 knots speed. Armament — 
Four 10-inch breech-loading rifles, two 6-pounder 
and two 3-pounder rapid-fire guns, two 37mm. 
Hotchkiss revolving cannon and four Gatlings. 

Cincinnati, Captain Colby M. Chester. Pro- 
tected cruiser, 3,183 tons; 10,000 horse-power; 
19 knots speed. Armament — Ten 5-inch and one 
6-inch rapid-fire guns, eight 6-pounder and four 
1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and two Gatlings. 

Detroit, Commander John H. Dayton. 
Cruiser, 2,000 tons; 5,200 horse-power; 18 knots 
speed. Armament— Eight 5-inch and two 6-inch 
rapid-fire guns, six 6-pounder and two 1 -pounder 
rapid-fire guns and two Gatlings. 

Montgomery, Commander George A. Con- 
verse. Description identical with that of the De- 
troit. 

Marblehead, Commander Bowman H. Mc- 
Calla. Description same as Detroit. 

Dolphin, Commander Henry W. Lyon. Dis- 
patch-boat, 1,485 tons; 2,240 horse-power; 15 
knots speed. Armament — Two 4-inch and two 
6-pounder rapid-fire guns, two 37mm. Hotchkiss 
revolving cannon and two Gatlings. 

Wilmington, Commander Chapman C. Todd. 
Sheathed cruiser, 1,392 tons ; 1,600 horse-power ; 
13 knots speed. Armament — Eight 4-inch, six 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 369 

6-pounder and two i -pounder rapid-fire guns and 
two Gatlings. 

Helena, Commander William T. Swinburne. 
Cruiser, 1,392 tons ; 1,600 horse-power ; 13 knots 
speed. Armament — Same as Wilmington. 

Nashville, Commander Washburn Maynard. 
Cruiser, 1,371 tons; 1,790 horse-power ; 14 knots 
speed. Armament — Eight 4-inch, four 6-pounder 
and two 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and two Gat 
lings. 

Castine, Commander Robert M. Berry. 
Gunboat, 1,177 tons, 2, 186 horse-power ; 16 knots 
speed. Armament — Eight 4-inch, four 6-pounder 
and two 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and two Gatlings. 

Machias, Commander John F. Merry. De- 
scription same as Castine. 

Vicksburg, Commander A. B. H. Lillie. 
Gunboat, 1,000 tons ; 850 horse-power ; 12 knots 
speed. Armament — Six 4-inch, four 6-pounder, 
two 1 -pounder and one 3-pounder rapid-fire guns, 

Newport, Commander Benjamin F. Tilley. 
Description same as Vicksburg. 

Vesuvius, Lieutenant-Commander John E. 
Pillsbury. Dynamite cruiser, 930 tons; 3,794 
horse-power ; 22 knots speed. Armament — 
Three 15-inch dynamite guns and three 3-pounder 
rapid-fire guns. 

Fern, Lieutenant-Commander William F. 
Cowles. Dispatch-boat, formerly in service be- 



3 JO WAR WITH SPAIN. 

tween navy yards as transport steamer, 840 tons. 
Armament — Two 3-pounder and two 1 -pounder 
rapid-fire guns. 

Cushing, Lieutenant Albert Gleaves. Tor- 
pedo-boat, 165 tons; 1, 720 horse-power ; 22 knots 
speed. Armament — Three torpedo tubes and 
two 3-pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Ericsson, Lieutenant-Commander Nathaniel 
R. Usher. Torpedo-boat, 120 tons; 1,800 horse- 
power ; 24 knots speed. Armament — Three tor- 
pedo tubes and four 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Rodgers, Lieutenant Joseph L. Jayne. Tor- 
pedo-boat, 142 tons ; 2,000 horse-power ; 27 knots 
speed. Armament — Three torpedo tubes and 
four i-pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Winslow — Lieutenant John L. Bernadou. 
Description same as Rodgers. 

Foote, Lieutenant William L. Rodgers. De- 
scription same as Rodgers. 

Porter, Lieutenant John C. Fremont. Tor- 
pedo-boat, 185 tons; 3,500 horse-power ; 27 knots 
speed. Armament — Three torpedo tubes and 
three 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Dupont, Lieutenant Spencer S. Wood (flag- 
ship of torpedo flotilla). Description same as 
Porter. 

Flying: Squadron. 
Commodore Winfield Scott Schley, Commanding. 

Brooklyn, Captain Francis A. Cook (flag- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 37 1 

ship). Steel armored cruiser, 11,296 tons; 
1,000 horse-power; 16 knots speed. Arma- 
ment — Four 12-inch breech-loading rifles, eight 
8-inch and six 4-inch breech-loading rifles, twenty 
6-pounder and six 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and 
four Catlings. 

Massachusetts, Captain Francis J. Higgin- 
son. Steel coast-line battleship, 10,288 tons; 
9,000 horse-power ; 15 knots speed. Armament 
— Four 13-inch breech-loading rifles, eight 8-inch 
breech-loading rifles, four 6-inch breech-loading 
rifles, twenty 6-pounder and six 1 -pounder rapid- 
fire guns and four Gatlings. 

Columbia, Captain James H. Sands. Pro- 
tected cruiser, 7,350 tons; 21,000 horse-power; 
21 knots speed. Armament — One 8-inch breech- 
loading rifle, two 6-inch and eight 4-inch rapid-fire 
guns, twelve 6-pounder, four 1 -pounder and four 
Gatlings. 

Minneapolis, Captain Theodore F. Jewell. 
Description same as Columbia. 

Texas, Captain John W. Phillip. Steel ar- 
mored battleship, 6,300 tons; 8,000 horse-power; 
17 knots speed. Armament — Two 12-inch breech- 
loading rifles, six 6-inch breech-loading rifles, 
twelve 6-pounder, two 3-pounder, four 37mm. 
Hotchkiss revolving cannon and two Gat- 
lings. 

Katahdin, Commander G. F. F. Wilde. Steel 



372 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

harbor-defence ram, 2,183 tons; 4,800 horse- 
power, 15 knots speed. Deck armament — Four 
6-pounder rapid-fire guns. 

Pacific Station. 
Rear- Admiral Joseph N. Miller, Commanding. 

Oregon, Captain Charles E. Clark. Steel 
coast-line battleship, 10,288 tons, 9,000 horse- 
power; 15 knots speed. Armament — Four 13-inch 
breech-loading rifles, eight 8-inch and four 6-inch 
breech-loading rifles, twenty 6-pounder and six 
1 -pounder rapid-fire guns and four Gatlings. 

Monterey, captain not assigned. Steel, low- 
freeboard coast-defence monitor, 4,000 tons; 5, coo 
horse-power; 13 knots speed. Armament — Two 
13-inch and two 10-inch breech-loading rifles, six 
6-pounder and four 1 -pounder and two Gatlings. 

Monadnock, Captain William H. Whiting. 
Iron low-freeboard coast-defence monitor, 3,900 
tons, 3,000 horse-power; 14 knots speed. Ar- 
mament — Four 10-inch breech-loading rifles, two 
4-inch rapid fire guns, two 6-pounder and two 3- 
pounder and two 37mm. Hotchkiss revolving 
cannon. 

Bennington, Commander Henry E. Nichols. 
Cruiser, 1,750 tons ; 3,500 horse-power ; 17 knots 
speed. Armament— Six 6-inch breech-loading 
rifles, two 6-pounder, two 3-pounder and one 
1 -pounder rapid-fire guns, two 37mm. Hotchkiss 
cannon and two Gatlings. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 373 

Marietta, Captain Frederick M. Symonds. 
Gunboat, 1,200 tons ; 850 horse-power; 12 knots 
speed. Armament — Six 4-inch, four 6-pounder, 
two i-pounder and one 3-pounder and two 
Catlings. 

Alert, Commander E. H. C. Leutze. Gun- 
boat, 1,020 tons; 365 horse-power; 10 knots 
speed. Armament, four guns. 

Asiatic Station. 
Commodore George Dewey, Commanding. 

Olympia, Captain Charles V. Gridley. Pro- 
tected cruiser, 5,500 tons; 13,500 horse-power; 
20 knots speed. Armament — Four 8-inch breech- 
loading rifles, ten 5-inch rapid-fire guns, fourteen 
6-pounder, six 1 -pounder and four Gatlings. 

Baltimore, Captain Nehemiah M. Dyer. 
Protected cruiser, 4,600 tons ; 10,000 horse- 
power ; 19 knots speed. Armament — Four 8- 
inch and six 6-inch breech-loading rifles, four 6- 
pounder, two 3-pounder and two 1 -pounder guns, 
four 37mm. Hotchkiss cannon and two Gatlings. 

Raleigh, Commander Joseph B. Coghlan. 
Protected cruiser, 3, 1 8^, tons ; 10,000 horse-power ; 
19 knots speed. Armament — One 6-inch and ten 
5-inch rapid-fire guns, eight 6-pounder, four 1- 
pounder and two Gatlings. 

Boston, Commander Benjamin P. Lamberton. 
Protected cruiser, 3, 189 tons ; 4,030 horse-power ; 
15 knots speed. Armament — Two 8-inch and six 



374 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

6-inch breech-loading rifles, two 6-pounder, two* 
3-pounder and two i -pounder rapid-fire guns, four 
Hotchkiss cannon and two Gatlings. 

Concord, Commander Asa Walker. Gun- 
boat, 1,700 tons; 3,405 horse-power; 16 knots 
speed. Armament — Six 6-inch breech-loading 
rifles, two 6-pounder, two 3-pounder, one 1- 
pounder rapid-fire guns, two 37mm. Hotchkiss 
cannon and two Gatlings. 

Petrel, Commander Edward P. Wood. Gun- 
boat, 890 tons; 1,513 horse-power; 11 knots 
speed. Armament — Four 6-inch breech-loading 
rifles, two 3-pounder, one 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns, 
two 37mm. Hotchkiss cannon and two Gatlings. 

Monocacy, Commander Oscar W. Farenholt. 
Wooden corvette, 1,370 tons; 850 horse-power; 
1 1 knots speed. Armament — Two 60-pounder 
breech-loading rifles, four 8-inch smooth-bore guns, 
two small guns, eight Hotchkiss cannon and one 
Gatling. 

Unassig-ned. 

San Francisco, Captain Richard P, Leary. 
Protected cruiser, 4,083 tons ; 10,400 horse-power ; 
20 knots speed. Armament — Twelve 6-inch 
breech-loading rifles, four 6-pounder, four 3- 
pounder, two 1 -pounder rapid-fire guns, three 
37mm. Hotchkiss cannon and four Gatlings. 

Bancroft, Commander J. V. B. Bleecker. 
Cadet-training ship, 832 tons ; 1,213 horse-power ; 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 375 

14 knots speed. Armament — Four 4-inch, two 
6-pounder, two 3-pounder, one 1 -pounder rapid- 
fire guns, one 37mm. Hotchkiss cannon and one 
Gatling. 

New Orleans, Captain W. M. Folger. 
Cruiser, steel-sheathed, 3,600 tons; 7,500 horse- 
power; 20 knots speed. Armament — Six 6-inch, 
four 4.7-inch, ten 6-pounder, four 1 -pounder rapid- 
fire guns and four machine guns. Built in 1896 
at Elswick, England. (Formerly Brazilian cruiser 
Amazonas.) 

Gwin, Lieutenant Clarence S. Williams. 
Torpedo-boat. 

Talbot, Lieutenant William R. Shoemaker. 
Torpedo-boat. 

Special Service. 

Wheeling, Lieutenant-Commander Uriel Se- 
bree. Cruiser, steel sheathed, 1,200 tons, 850 
horse-power, 12 knots speed. Armament — Six 
4-inch, four 6-pounder, one 3-pounder and two 
i-pound rapid-fire guns, one 37mm. Hotchkiss 
cannon and 1 Gatling. 

Miantonomoh, Captain Mortimer L. Johnson. 
Iron, low-freeboard, coast-defense monitor, 4,000 
tons, 1,426 horse-power, 10 knots speed. Arma- 
ment — Four 10-inch breech-loading rifles, two 
6-pounder, two 3-pounder and one 1 -pounder 
rapid-fire guns. 



376 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Pensacola, Captain Henry Glass. Wooden 
frigate, 3,000 tons, 680 horse-power, 9 knots 
speed. 

Monitors. 

Catskill, Lieutenant M. E. Hall. Low-free- 
board, single turret monitor, 1,875 tons, 340 
horse-power, 5 knots speed. Armament — Two 
15-inch smooth-bore guns. 

Montauk, Commander Edward T. Strong. 
Description same as Catskill. 

Passaic, Lieutenant Francis H. Sherman. 
Description same as Catskill. 

Jason, Lieutenant F. H. Fickbohm. De- 
scription similar to Catskill. 

Lehigh, Lieutenant Robert G. Peck. De- 
scription same as Jason. 

Nahant, Lieutenant Clayton S. Richman. 
Description similar to Catskill. 

Canonicus, commander not appointed. De- 
scription same as Nahant. 

Mahopac, Commander not appointed. De- 
scription similar to Catskill. 

Manhattan, commander not appointed. De- 
scription same as Mahopac. 

Nantucket, commander not appointed. De- 
scription similar to Catskill. 

Training Sliips. 

Constellation, Commander John McGowan. 
Ship, 1,186 tons; sail power. Armament — Eight 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 2>77 

8-inch smooth-bore guns, two 20-pounder breech- 
loading rifles, two smaller guns and four 37mm. 
Hotchkiss cannon. 

Alliance, Commander Albert Ross. Bark, 
1,500 tons; 550 horse-power; 9 knots speed. 
Armament — Four 4-inch, two 6-pounder, two 3- 
pounder, one T-pounder rapid-fire guns and one 
Gatling. 

Adams, Commander William C. Gibson. 
Bark. Description similar to Alliance. 

Mohican, Commander George M. Book. 
Bark, 1,900 tons; 613 horse-power; 10 knots 
speed. Armament — Eight 9-inch smooth-bore 
guns, one 8-inch muzzle-loading rifle, one 60- 
pounder, one 20-pounder, one 3-inch breech- 
loading rifle, two 37mm. Hotchkiss cannon and 
one Gatling. 

Auxiliary Fleet. 

Yankee, Commander Willard H. Brownson. 
Cruiser; 4,659 tons; 15 knots speed. Arma- 
ment — Four 5-inch breech-loading rifles, smaller 
guns not decided on. 

Dixie, Commander Charles H. Davis. De- 
scription same as Yankee. 

Prairie, Commander Charles J. Train. De- 
scription same as Yankee. 

Yosemite, Commander William H. Emory. 
Description same as Yankee. 

St. Paul, Captain Charles D. Sigsbee. Crui- 



37^ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

ser, 11,629 tons; 21 knots speed. Armament 
not decided on. 

St. Louis, Captain Caspar F. Goodrich. De- 
scription same as St. Paul. 

Panther, Commander George C. Reiter. 
Cruiser, 2,843 tons; 16 knots speed. Armament 
not decided on. 

Badger, Captain Albert S. Snow. 

Resolute, Commander Joseph C. Eaton. 

Beside these there were many revenue cutters 
fitted up for service as dispatch boats and torpedo 
gunboats, a number of swift yachts for like ser- 
vice, tugs, colliers, etc. 

The Spanish Soldier. 

The United States soldier is a familiar figure 
to every American, and there is probably no finer 
type of fighting man in the world. Far different 
is the Spanish soldier, in appearance one of the 
most unsoldierly of men. 

Watch him as he slouches along ; his tunic 
faded, torn, and probably minus a button or two ; 
his red trousers frayed and threadbare; his feet 
cased in the clumsy hempen sandals of the 
country; and his hands muffled in huge green 
woolen gloves, between the top of which and 
the sleeve of his tunic is usually to be seen two 
or three inches of bare, brown, sinewy arm. He 
carries his rifle anyhow — at the trail, at the slope, 
muzzle foremost, slung at his back. Not an in- 




Rear Admiral Sampson. 




Rear Admiral Dewey. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 38 1 

spiring picture ! Far from it ! Nevertheless, 
that the Spaniard can fight, and fight well, too, on 
occasions, has been proved on many a blood- 
stained field. At Igualada, one of the fiercest 
battles of the late Carlist war, an entire battalion 
had to choose between annihilation and surrender, 
and selected the former. Despite his shuffling 
gait, too, he marches well and uncomplainingly. 
In fact, the Spanish "Tommy" never seems to 
tire, and he is seldom out of temper. 

Two meals a day, served at 9 a. m. and 
5 p. m., constitute the regular commissariat allow- 
ances, but, in addition, he is served in some corps 
with coffee and soup in the early morning. Bread, 
and bread only, at the rate of a pound and a half 
per man per day, constitutes the Government 
ration. Any additional food he has to buy from 
the regimental canteen. This is kept by a civilian, 
but the scale of prices is regulated by a regimen- 
tal committee. Very little meat enters into the 
Spanish soldier's dietary. Perhaps this is the 
reason his wounds heal so rapidly and easily. A 
chunk of dry, black bread, a little oil, and a clove 
of garlic suffice him for the day. 

The Cigarette His Solace. 

If to this he is able to add half a pint of wine 
that looks like red ink and tastes like vinegar and 
water, he is in clover. One thing, however, he 
will never consent to do without, and that is his 

22 



382 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

cigarette. The number of these an average 
Spanish "Tommy" will consume in the course 
of the day is appalling. He rolls them himself, 
using a yellow, dry, dusty-looking tobacco, which 
possesses no more flavor to an American smoker's 
palate than would so much chopped straw. 

In theory, every Spaniard must serve his 
twelve years in the army ; but there is a wide 
difference, in this case at all events, between 
theory and practice. To begin with, any citizen 
can discharge his liability to serve by the pay- 
ment, in a lump sum, of 1,200 pesetas. This 
sounds a good lot of money. But it takes five 
pesetas to equal an American dollar, so that he 
really has to disburse only about $240. Enor- 
mous numbers, even of the peasant class, have 
taken to availing themselves of this privilege. 
There has even sprung up in many of the prov- 
inces a special class of village usurers, who lend 
the " smart money " — at a ruinous rate of interest, 
of course — to young men who have been "drawn." 
Benefit clubs, having the same object in view, are 
also rife in the agricultural districts. This has the 
effect of increasing the Spanish revenues ; but 
from a military point of view it is deplorable. 
Besides those who honorably purchase their ex- 
emption, large numbers of young men obtain 
what are known as "dispensations," absolving 
them from serving their time under any circum- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 3S3 

stances whatever. To get one of these "dispen- 
sations" it is not necessary to be either braver, 
wiser or better than one's neighbors. But one 
must have what the Americans call a " pull " with 
the authorities. 

Bullied, Ill-treated and Robbed. 

It is scarcely to be wondered at that the 
Spanish peasant tries his utmost to evade the 
conscription ; for his treatment, from the moment 
he dons his country's uniform until the moment 
he is discharged, is of the vilest. He is bullied 
by his officers, ill-treated by his "non-coms.," and 
robbed by all. Nominally his pay is 75 centimos 
(15 cents) a day. 

Often, however, for years together he does 
not handle that much money in a month. The 
Spanish system of "army stoppages" is worked 
upon a sliding scale. The more money "Tommy" 
"has coming to him" at the end of the month, 
the greater is the sum kept back for this, that or 
the other. 

And he dares not complain, for discipline is 
enforced with a relentless severity that is neither 
more nor less than appalling. Desertion is pun- 
ished by eight years' solitary confinement. For 
theft the penalties are as follows : If the amount 
stolen does not exceed 50 cents, imprisonment 
with hard labor for three years ; from 50 cents to 
$10.00, ten years' imprisonment; above $10.00, 



384 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

death or hard labor for life. In the Spanish mili- 
tary code of laws there are over eighty crimes 
many of them of the most trivial nature, which 
are punishable by death. Nevertheless, organized 
military revolts, known as "pronunciamientos," 
are exceedingly common, and the entire army is 
said to be honeycombed by secret revolutionary 
societies. 

The Army in Cuba. 

The Spanish army in Cuba was classified at 
the outbreak of the war as follows : 

First — Regular infantry. This force is com- 
posed exclusively of men born in Spain. One 
can have only feelings of pity for these poor boys, 
for most of them are barely twenty years of age. 
As regiment after regiment goes marching past, 
one will look at thousands of youthful faces before 
seeing a grizzled veteran. These boys are clean- 
looking, neat and well-behaved. " Toughs" and 
rowdies among them are almost wholly unknown. 
They care nothing about Cuba. The island might 
sink into the sea, and they would merely roll a 
fresh cigarette and dream of the blue hills of old 
Spain, so very, very far away. They are dragged 
from their peaceful, quiet homes to fight for 
Spain. That is all they know about it, and it is 
all they care. Poor boys ! One could only pity 
them, as they kept always coming, coming to 
Havana, and never going back. It would be a pity 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 385 

to mow down these inoffensive lads with machine 
guns and steel-jacketed bullets. 

Second— Regular cavalry. This is practi- 
cally little more than mounted infantry. The men 
are of Spanish birth. If one did not know that 
their horses came chiefly from Texas, the infer- 
ence would be irresistible that the cavalry mounts 
were the direct descendants of Rosinante of 
blessed memory. The average cavalry horse of 
the Spanish forces in Cuba recalls the old story 
of the man who was driving along a village street 
somewhere in Connecticut with a horse that was 
apparently saved from total disintegration only 
by the harness. 

" Hello!" said a friend on the sidewalk. 
" Going to have a new horse? " 

" What d'ye mean? " demanded the other. 

"Why, I thought you were going to have a 
new horse. I see you have the frame up ! " 

When the Spanish cavalry horse becomes 
too weak and decrepit for active service he is sold 
to the bull-fighters, who prop him up while the 
bull gores him to death. 

Third — Guardia Civil — infantry. This is 
really an admirable body of men. It is the pick 
of the Spanish troops in Cuba. To be eligible 
for service with this corps a man must be of good 
character and some education. As the name im- 
plies, it is a civil guard, detailed chiefly for service 



386 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

in cities and other places where an intelligent, 
well-behaved force is required. The men are not 
mounted. They are of Spanish birth, and they 
take pride in the good name of their corps. 

Fourth — Guerillas — cavalry. From the 
name, this force is supposed by most Americans 
to be composed of lawless bands of ruffians, 
roaming about, without method or discipline, in 
search of throats to cut and henroosts to rob. 
This is an error. The guerillas are regularly 
enlisted men, properly officered, and subjected to 
army discipline. The detestation in which they are 
held arises from two circumstances : First, they 
are mostly native-born Cubans, fighting for pay 
against the freedom of their own country ; second, 
in their capacity of scouts and rural patrol, they 
come in conflict with the Insurgents more fre- 
quently than any other Spanish force. When 
captured by Insurgents a guerilla receives no 
quarter. He is either hacked to death with a 
machete or hanged to the nearest tree. By 
reason of his intimate knowledge of the country, 
the guerilla is more feared and hated than all the 
rest of the Spanish troops combined. When 
captured by Insurgents, the Spanish-born soldier 
is treated humanely, and put to work raising 
vegetables for the use of his captors. The cap- 
tured guerilla, however, is killed like a wild 
beast. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 387 

Fifth — Volunteers— infantry. This was Wey- 
ler's pet force. It is composed chiefly of Spanish 
residents of Cuba, who hold themselves in readi- 
ness for active service when called upon in times 
of emergency. Its fighting abilities are supposed 
to be confined to volleys of selected epithets 
delivered at long range. 

Sixth — Mobilizados — infantry. This is an 
irregular force for defensive purposes only. It 
is composed of both Spaniards and native-born 
Cubans. It is to all intents and purposes a force 
of night-watchmen, serving without pay, or with 
pay, as circumstances provide. Each fortified 
town is supposed to provide a certain number of 
mobilizados to do guard duty at the blockhouse 
forts, guarding the place. The citizens usually 
take turns at this duty. By obtaining a special 
permit from the authorities, the owner of a plan- 
tation may arm his workmen, or may hire men as 
guards, to protect his property against bandits. 

Seventh — Orden Publico — infantry. This is 
a city guard, similar to the Guardia Civil. It was 
with men from this force that the United States 
Consulate-General, in Havana, was guarded. 
Spanish Pronunciation. 

For the convenience of those who have not 
a familiar acquaintance with the Spanish language, 
the pronunciation of some of the commonest 
names met with in the story of the war is given. 



3$& WAR WITH SPAIN. 

It will be well to mention a few of the important 
peculiarities in the sounds of the Spanish conso- 
nants. The letter "j " in Spanish has its nearest 
English equivalent in "h," although it is harsher 
than that letter, and is like the German guttural 
" ch." It can be obtained approximately by 
breathing strongly in the throat, trying at the same 
time to pronounce the English "h." The letter 
"g," when followed by " e " or " i," is pronounced 
in the same way ; but in all other cases is pro- 
nounced like "g" in "go." The Spanish "h" is 
not sounded at all. "LI" is pronounced like 
" Hi " in " billion," and " n " like " ni " in ' ' pinion." 
In the pure Castilian, which is the language of 
the Court and of the most highly educated classes 
in Spain, the letter "c," when followed by "e" or 
"i," and the letter "z" always are pronounced 
like " th " in " thick." As these consonants occur 
frequently, they give this purest form of Spanish 
a peculiarly soft and melodious sound. But in 
many parts of Spain, this " th " sound is never 
heard, the letters "c" and "g" being both pro- 
nounced like the English " s." The latter custom 
also prevails throughout Cuba and Porto Rico, 
and in all the countries of South and Central 
America, where Spanish is the general language. 
In the table below the pronunciation of all the 
names of places in the West Indies or of Cuban 
leaders which contain the letter "z " or the letter 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 389 

"c," followed by "e" or "i," will consequently 
be given both ways. Proper and geographical 
names of Spain itself will be given according to 
the Castilian form. 

As a general rule, to which, however, there 
are many exceptions, the emphasis or accent in 
the pronunciation of Spanish words falls on the 
last syllable of those which end in a consonant 
and on the next to the last syllable of those which 
end in a vowel. In the names here given, an 
accent mark will be placed upon the vowel in the 
syllable which receives the emphasis, but it should 
be remembered that this mark does not properly 
belong there, but is used merely to indicate how 
the word is pronounced. It is always a difficult 
matter to imitate the pronunciation of foreign 
words in English letters, and the results cannot, 
in many cases, exactly reproduce the Spanish 
sounds. The letter "r" in Spanish is always 
rolled much more than in English. 

West Indian Geographical Names, 

Havana — Ah-vah-na. Cardenas — Car-deh- 
nas. Cabanas — Cah-ban-yas. Matanzas — Mah- 
tahn-sas, or Mah-tahn-thas. Pinar del Rio — Pee- 
nar del Ree-o. Mariel — Mah-ree-el. Santa Clara 
— Sahn-ta Clah-ra. Santiago de Cuba — Sahn-tee- 
ah-go deh Coo-ba. Puerto Principe — Poo-air-to 
Prin-see-pay, or Poo-air-to Prin-the-peh. Guana- 
bacoa — Gwahn-ah-bah-co-ah. Bahia Honda — Bah- 



3$0 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

ee-ah Ohn-dah. Corrientes — Cor-ree-ehn-tehs. 
Conchas — Cohn-chahss. Sagua la Grande — Sah- 
gwah lah Grahn-deh. Cienfuegos — See-ehn-foo- 
eh-gos, or The-ehn-foo-eh-gos. Moron — Mo- 
rohn. Nuevitas — Nooeh-vi-tahss. Cubitas — Coo- 
bi-tahss. Holquin — Ohl-gheen. Santa Cruz — 
Sahn-tah Crooss, or Sahn-tah Crooth. Manzanillo 
— Mahn-sah-neel-yo, or Mahn-thah-neel-yo. Maya- 
guez — Mah-yah-gaiss, or Mah-yah-gaith. San 
Juan — Sahn Hooahn. Arecibo — Ah-reh-see-bo, 
or Ah-reh-the-bo. Ponce — Pohn-seh, or Pohn- 
theh. Jucaro — Hoo-cah-ro. Esperanza — Ehs- 
peh-rahn-sah, or Ehs-peh-rahn-thah. 
Cuban Proper Names. 

Maximo Gomez — Mahks-i-mo G6-mes, or 
Mahks-i-mo G6-meth. Calixto Garcia — Cah-leeks- 
to Gar-see-ah, or Cah-leeks-to Gar-the-ah. (The 
"x" in Calixto is pronounced like the guttural 
"j" previously mentioned.) Perez — Peh-res, or 
Peh-reth. Alvarez — Ahl-vah-res, or Ahl-vah-reth. 
Masso — Mahss-o. Capote — Cah-po-teh. 
Spanish Geographical Names. 

Espana (Spain) — Es-pahn-yah. Madrid — 
Mah-dreed. Cadiz — Cah-deeth. Barcelona — 
Bar-theh-16-nah. Valencia — Vah-len-the-ah. Viz- 
caya (Biscay) — Veeth-cah-yah. Sevilla (Seville) 
Seh-veel-yah. Cartagena — Car-tah-heh-nah. Ca- 
vite — Cah-vee-tay. Castilla — Cahs-teel-yah. Ara- 
gon — Ah-rah-gohn. Ceuta — Thay-o6-tah c 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 39 1 

Spanish Proper Names, 
Alfonso — Ahl-fohn-so. Maria Cristina — 
Mah-ree-ah Crees-tee-nah. Praxedes Sagasta — 
Prah-heh-dehs Sah-gahss-tah. Leon y Castillo- — 
Leh-6hn ee Cahss-teel-yo. Correa — Cor-reh-ah. 
Aunon — Ah-oonohn. Romero Giron— Ro-meh- 
ro Hee-rohn. Lopez Puigcerver — L6-peth Poo- 
eeg-thair-vair. Gamazo — Gah-mah-tho. Capde- 
pon— Cahp-deh-pohn. Groizard — Gro-ee-thard. 
(The last name, from its spelling, appears to be 
French, but the above would be the Spanish pro- 
nunciation.) Bermejo — Bair-meh-ho. Cervera 
— Thair-veh-rah. Weyler — Way-ee-lair. (This 
again is undoubtedly a German name and is 
variously pronounced.) Ramon Blanco — Rah- 
mohn Blahn-co. Silvela — Seel-veh-lah. Romero 
y Robledo — Ro-meh-ro ee Ro-blay-do. 

Names of Spanish Ships. 

Almirante Oquendo — Ahl-mee-rahn-teh O- 
kehn-do. Pelayo — Peh-laii yo. Cristobal Colon 
— Crees-to-bahl Co-lohn. Pluton — Ploo-tohn. 
Terror — Ter-ror. Furor — Foo-ror. Ciudad de 
Cadiz— The-oo-dahd deh Cah-deeth. Azor — Au- 
thor. Ariete — -Ah-ree-eh-teh. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



BLOCKADING HAVANA THE FIRST PRIZE TAKING 

THE PEDRO SHOTS FROM MORRO CASTLE 

IN HAVANA MORE PRIZES A FALSE ALARM 

ADVENTURES OF A PRESS BOAT A SMART CAP- 
TURE — WORK OF A MONITOR A PRIVILEGED 

FRENCH STEAMER. 



(f 



HE FIRST SHOT of the war was fired 
at seven o'clock on the morning of April 
22. It was fired from a six-inch gun 
on the gunboat Nashville, of Admiral 
Sampson's fleet, blockading Havana, and the tar- 
get was the Spanish merchant steamer Buenaven- 
tura, the first prize of the war. 

Before daylight that morning the fleet was 
under way to blockade the Spanish-Cuban capital. 
At sunrise it was slowly steaming south from Key 
West. There were the great battleships Indiana 
and Iowa, and the armored cruiser New York, 
the flagship of Admiral Sampson, who was in 
command of the squadron. These with a monitor, 
four torpedo-boats, an unarmored cruiser 
and gunboats made the first division. By six 
o'clock the last ship was in line. Meanwhile the 
crowds at the harbor saw a trail of smoke appear 

(39 2 ) 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 393 

on the westward, gradually approaching to round 
out of the Gulf. About seven o'clock it could be 
seen to be a two-masted black-hulled merchant- 
man flying the Spanish flag. Suddenly the Nash- 
ville left the line of Captain Sampson's squadron, 
and steamed at full speed westward towards the 
Spaniard. A moment after breaking from the 
line she fired a shot from her port side, which 
struck the water a hundred yards wide of the 
Spanish merchantman. The latter was half a mile 
off, and held on her way without heeding the shot. 
The Nashville pressed on in full chase. 
Two minutes after the first shot she tried another, 
which passed within a rod of the Spaniard's bows 
and struck the water a mile beyond. On seeing 
this, the merchantman immediately reversed her 
engines. The Nashville was now close by. The 
Spaniard struck her colors at 7.15 a. m., and 
waited. By then the Nashville was alongside, 
with every starboard gun trained against the mer- 
chantman. The United States vessel lowered her 
whaleboat, and Ensign Magruder — a name known 
to an earlier generation in the American navy — 
with a small prize crew, boarded the stranger, who 
proved to be the Buenaventura, laden with lum- 
ber. The United States torpedo-boat Foote was 
up alongside in a few minutes. The Spanish 
vessel's papers were at once handed over, and 
taken by the Foote to Admiral Sampson's flagship. 



394 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The New York, Indiana, and the Iowa had been 
lying off during this brief drama. A number of 
guns were fired from the New York without any 
apparent object so far as those not on board could 
see. However, the torpedo-boat Foote soon 
returned to the Nashville with orders from the 
commander to hold the Buenaventura as a prize 
of war. The Nashville then escorted her to Key 
West. 

The First Prise. 

The crew of the Buenaventura hung listlessly 
and indifferently over the rail, and gazed with sleepy 
curiosity at their captors. Two Spanish officers 
remained on the bridge, one apparently the cap- 
tain. When orders came to take the prize to 
Key West an American sailor held her wheel, an- 
other stood on the bridge near Ensign Magruder, 
and a third guarded the maindeck. The American 
sailors were armed with muskets, and had bayon- 
ets in their belts. Ensign Magruder bore only 
his side-arms. The crews of the Nashville and 
the Foote kept silent from the moment the men 
went aboard the Buenaventura. All the way to 
this harbor they made no demonstration of the 
intense exultation they must have felt at holding 
the first Spanish prize and prisoners. 

When the Nashville, convoying her first 
prize, arrived at Key West, all the ships in the 
harbor blew blasts from their steam whistles, and 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 395 

great crowds gathered and cheered wildly at the 
sight of the Stars and Stripes flying from the 
masts of the captured Spaniard. The Cuban 
residents got up a special demonstration of their 
own, and paraded the streets with Cuban flags. 
The Nashville's performance was a very smart 
one. 

Taking tlie Pedro. 

The next prize was the merchant ship Pedro. 
She was unloading a cargo at Havana when the 
blockade was proclaimed, and she made all haste 
to get away, but succeeded in merely running 
into the American fleet. She put out of the har- 
bor and headed for the east, intending to run 
around that end of the island and get to Santiago 
de Cuba. She had the honor of being espied by 
the lookout on no less a vessel than the flagship 
of the fleet, the New York. Instantly the old 
cry, dear to a fighting seaman's heart, was heard 
— "A chase! A chase!" 

The officers and crew gathered in groups, and 
eagerly watched the flying vessel. The New 
York increased her speed to eighteen knots, and 
gained rapidly, Admiral Sampson meanwhile pac- 
ing the forward bridge. Great delight was ex- 
pressed when it became evident that the stranger 
was cut off from escape. The crew were now all 
at their stations and the guns loaded and trained. 
The echo of the warning shot had hardly died 



396 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

away before the Pedro hove to. The prize crew 
which was sent on board the captured vessel had 
scarcely left for their new command when a blank 
shell was fired from one of the New York's for- 
ward guns. This was the signal for another 
steamer which had been sighted to westward to 
stop. She was scurrying away as fast as possible, 
when the flagship began a second chase. The 
excitement now became intense, but perfect dis- 
cipline was maintained. To the great disappoint- 
ment of all on board, it was presently seen that 
the steamer was flying the German flag. An 
ensign boarded her to obtain information, and she 
proved to be the tramp steamer Reumus, bound 
from Havana to Santiago. Her captain stated 
that he knew nothing about the war, and the 
American ensign accordingly made the usual 
apologies and returned to the flagship, the 
Reumus proceeding on her way. 

Shots from Morro Castle. 
The Pedro was captured on April 24. The 
preceding night the first shots were fired at our 
fleet from Morro Castle. The flag-ship New 
York was engaged in signalling with lights to the 
other members of the fleet when the firing began. 
Captain Chadwick of the New York was asleep 
at the time. The firing from the forts was at 
once reported to him by the officer of the deck, 
and the signal officer asked in excited tones 



Commodore Schley. 











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Captain Sigsbee. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 399 

whether he had not better discontinue signaling. 
"No," Captain Chadwick replied, with the ut- 
most coolness, "there is no necessity for stopping. 
Go ahead." 

A little later Captain Chadwick went on the 
forward bridge and watched the flames shooting 
out from Morro Castle as each shot was fired, but 
after a few minutes he turned his back, remarking 
that it was perfectly certain the Spaniards could 
do no damage at five miles, our present approxi- 
mate distance from the fort. He then returned 
to bed. 

The other officers, commenting upon the 
firing, laughingly remarked that the Spaniards 
evidently couldn't sleep without some fireworks, 
one of them adding, "They can't hit anything, 
anyway." 

During this futile attempt to bombard the 
fleet there was no excitement whatever on board 
ship. In fact, many of the men were unconcern- 
edly asleep, though Spain's first gun in the war 
was being fired, and the ship they were in was 
the target. 

In Havana. 

Meantime in the city of Havana there was no 
such tranquillity as Captain Chadwick showed. 
The opening days of the war were marked with 
intense excitement and many alarms. The long- 
expected war-cloud had burst, and had roused 

23 



400 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the passions of the Spaniards to the extremest 
pitch. At length one night, a little before mid- 
night, a fleet of warships was discovered by- 
searchlights approaching Havana. Instantly the 
whole town was filled with animation. Alarm 
guns were fired from the forts, the troops were 
beat to quarters, and in a few minutes every man 
was at his post. 

The United States squadron approached at 
quarter speed. They flashed out their search- 
lights as soon as the alarm guns were fired. Land 
and water became almost as bright as at noon- 
day. Hundreds of people rushed to the water- 
side. Others, believing a bombardment was 
about to commence, sought concealment in direc- 
tions out of the line of the forts. 

The scene was inspiring. The drums beat in 
the batteries and the soldiers hurried from point 
to point as directed. 

But beyond all was the awe-inspiring sight of 
that phantom-like fleet gliding majestically, si- 
lently, and slowly through the quiet waters, mak- 
ing no sign of its deadly mission, and giving no 
sign of life to those on shore, but the continuous 
searching of the waters and the shore with their 
powerful searchlights. 

The vessels did not make direct for Havana. 
They directed their course towards Lacharrena, 
about two mites to the west. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 4OI 

There was no rest for Havana that night. 
The squadron continually shifted its position. 
Evidently there was a dread of torpedoes, and the 
greatest care was exercised. The reconnoitring 
and signalling went on until dawn made the elec- 
tric light needless, and then the American 
fleet moved off in line to the east and disappeared, 
whilst the wearied sightseers went home to their 
beds, and the timid ones came from their hiding 
places to their own homes. 

More Prices. 

The taking of prizes now became a matter of 
almost daily occurrence. On April 24 the gun- 
boat Helena took into Key West the valuable 
steamer Miguel Jover, with a cargo of 2,000 tons 
of cotton and staves. She was worth about 
$400,000. A little later the same day the gun- 
boat Detroit captured the Catalina, a large steel 
steamer, of considerable value. And so it went 
on day after day. All sorts of Spanish ships were 
taken, from large ocean steamers to small fishing 
smacks. Now and then a ship of some other 
nationality was overhauled, but of course re- 
leased unless she was trying to run the blockade, 
in which case she either turned back or was taken 
prisoner. The blockade was effectively main- 
tained. One or two ships succeeded in eluding 
the vigilance of our squadron, but they were 
merely the exceptions that proved the rule. The 



402 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

blockaded ports were practically sealed against 
entry or exit. 

A False Alarm, 

The day after the blockade of Havana 
was established, the monitor Puritan, the cruiser 
Cincinnati, the gunboats Machias, Nashville, Cas- 
tine and Newport, and the torpedo-boats Foote 
and Winslow left the squadron to blockade 
Matanzas, Mariel and Cardenas. They formed 
separate divisions. After they had passed out of 
sight the remainder of the fleet took up regular 
formation. They drifted fifteen miles from Morro 
Castle, and a general advance was then made at 
half speed. Captain Bob Evans, who was not 
quite certain of the position he was entitled to 
take with the Iowa, came abreast of the flagship, 
and shouted through the megaphone, " How near 
may I go? " Admiral Sampson, standing on the 
after-bridge, replied, "As near as you can with- 
out drawing the fire of the batteries." "All 
right ! " Captain Evans shouted back, in tones 
which expressed the keenest disappointment. 

The Iowa then went ahead. About half an 
hour after the squadron was well under way, the 
cruiser Cincinnati was seen in the eastern horizon, 
smoke pouring from her funnels. As she had 
been heading for Matanzas, it was evident that 
she had turned back to chase some vessel. The 
object of the pursuit was soon made out to be a 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 403 

warship, standing well in towards the coast. The 
flagship New York, the cruiser Marblehead, and 
the gunboat Wilmington immediately turned out 
of their course to head the warship off, the re- 
mainder of the squadron proceeding westward. It 
was impossible to establish the stranger's identity, 
but she was thought to be the Viscaya or 
Oquenda, heading for Havana. The most intense 
excitement prevailed on board the New York and 
on the other vessels of the squadron. The men 
at the guns shouted with glee, while the stokers, 
off duty below, cheered vociferously, and begged 
to be allowed to go on deck to help to shoot at 
the first armed enemy. The officers crowded the 
quarter-deck, as elated as the men, though under 
better control. 

The bugler blew to general quarters, and all 
hands flew to their posts. Admiral Sampson, 
standing on the bridge, said deliberately to Cap- 
tain Chadwick, "Yes, it is the Oquenda or 
Viscaya;" adding, "I should like to bag them 
both." It was then seen that the chase was flying 
the Italian flag. This was no proof that behind 
her still invisible guns Spaniards were not con- 
cealed, ready to shoot, under false colors, and 
the guns on the port side of the New York, and 
in the forward and after turrets, were trained on 
the stranger. A few minutes later, when about 
17500 yards separated the New York from her 



404 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

target, the American flag was run up on the war- 
ship, a puff of smoke issued from her side, and the 
boom of a gun sounded across the waters. Many 
on board the flagship still thought the vessel 
might prove to be an enemy's ship, but the sound 
of the fifteen guns, with which she saluted the 
American flag, soon undeceived them. The New 
York returned the salute, and in her turn flew 
the Italian flag. The stranger proved to be the 
Italian cruiser Giovanni Bausan. Without further 
formalities she continued her course, and entered 
Havana harbor. An exciting incident thus ended 
in disappointment, but it served to show the 
anxiety of all hands for a fight, and to prove the 
thoroughness of their discipline. 

Adventures of a Press Boat. 
Some exciting adventures fell to the lot of 
the steamer Dauntless, which was in use as a 
news-boat, accompanying the fleet. It went off 
towards Matanzas, with the ships that were to 
blockade that port. " At nine o'clock that night," 
says one who was aboard the Dauntless, "three 
miles off Matanzas, we were stopped by Ensign 
Mclntyre, of the Cincinnati, while we were steam- 
ing quietly toward Matanzas, whose lights were 
reflected in the sky. A few miles to the south- 
eastward a large fire ashore was exciting com- 
ment aboard our vessel, and wonder was rife as 
to where the United States blockading fleet was 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 405 

to be found, when suddenly our look-out reported 
' Torpedo-boat astern, coming up fast.' A 
moment later, by her lights and a rocket which 
she sent up, the torpedo-boat Dupont was made 
out. We then discovered that we had come 
unawares within three miles of the Cuban shore, 
and far inside the prescribed limits. What fol- 
lowed was short, sharp and warlike. From the 
torpedo-boat, which had come alongside, we were 
hailed with the query, ' What boat is that ? ' 
Before we could answer, the order came through 
the megaphone, ' Keep out of this; keep outside 
the six-mile line, or you will get a shot through 
you/ 

"Some further colloquy of a more friendly 
character ensued. When the officer of the 
Dupont learned the peaceful nature of our mis- 
sion, we were directed to proceed slowly towards 
the Cincinnati, in whose neighborhood, also, we 
were advised to use great caution, as otherwise 
trouble would be in store for us. We proceeded 
slowly, but it seems not slowly enough, and very 
soon we were blinded by the glare of the Cin- 
cinnati's searchlights. The first intimation we 
received that we were in too close proximity to 
the warship was conveyed by the report of a six- 
pounder, which was immediately followed by a 
quick hail. Presently the Dupont stole up again, 
and quietly reported to the Cincinnati, ' This is 



406 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the boat we sighted inshore.' A voice from the 
Cincinnati replied, 'Very good; we will send a 
boat to board her.' 

"All this time the glare of the cruisers search- 
lights was on us, and was almost intolerable. 
Soon afterward a six-oared boat, with Ensign 
Mclntyre in the stern sheets, came alongside. 
His first order was, 'Your papers and log, 
please/ These were produced and found satis- 
factory, and more cordial relations were soon 
established. We found that we had transgressed 
for being within the limits set for vessels, and had 
had a close shave of being sunk. We informed 
the Cincinnati's officer that we would cheerfully 
take back any mail. In ten minutes the boat 
returned with this message : ' Captain Chester's 
compliments, and he will be obliged if you will 
take in this mail. You can go. You had better 
steam due west when you make your first course, 
or you may get into more trouble/ These 
instructions were' obeyed literally, and we set off 
on our return. Before we had gone six miles we 
again saw the torpedo-boat astern, evidently 
keeping an eye on us, the Cincinnati's search- 
lights meanwhile sweeping the horizon. Soon 
afterwards we heard four shots in quick succes- 
sion, but as they were not followed by others, 
we presumed some other boat had been over- 
hauled." 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 407 

A Smart Capture. 

A smart bit of work was the capture of the 
Spanish steamer Panama, by the Mangrove, on 
the evening of April 25. The Mangrove had 
been before the war merely a lighthouse tender, 
but was now fitted with two six-pounder guns and 
rated as an auxiliary cruiser of the United States 
navy. The Mangrove was prowling off Havana 
that evening, when she sighted the Panama head- 
ing for that port. Chase was given at once, and 
when the Mangrove got within range she fired a 
shot at the Spaniard. The latter did not stop, 
however, but kept on at top speed. Meanwhile, 
the Mangrove outmanoeuvred the Panama, getting 
between her and the Cuban shore, but even then 
the Panama would not stop, and the Mangrove 
had to fire three more shots, at decreasing range, 
before the plucky Spaniard reversed his engines 
and hauled down his flag in token of surrender. 

The Panama's passengers were mainly Span- 
ish refugees fleeing from New York and other 
places in the United States to Havana. Captain 
Quevedo was grief-stricken and greatly humiliated 
because of the capture. The passengers declared 
they knew nothing of the blockade, and when they 
saw the searchlight of the Mangrove they 
thought it the light of a Spanish man-of-war. The 
first shot changed their joy to apprehension, the 
second and third created a panic. The women 



408 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

ran screaming for shelter from the enemy's guns, 
and the captain locked himself sullenly in his cabin. 
Work of a Monitor. 
Most of the prize-taking was done by the 
small, swift gunboats, but even the big, heavy, 
slow monitors joined in it at times. This was 
done in the case of the Guido, taken on April 27. 
She was bound for Havana from Liverpool. The 
gunboat Machias sighted her some twenty-five 
miles north of Havana and fired the customary 
shot as a warning for her to stop, but the Guido 
disregarded it. The monitor Terror had also 
sighted her from the other side at the same time, 
and she also fired a shot across her bows. The 
Guido, however, did not stop, and the monitor 
then began to fire in a way that impressed on her 
the need of an immediate halt. She was some 
two miles' distance, but each of the three 6-pound 
shots which the Terror sent struck the upper- 
works of the Guido, as it was intended they 
should. One stove a big hole in one of the boats 
and another knocked the compass to smithereens 
off its stanchions. 

A splinter just grazed the wrist of Captain 
Sachiando, whose uplifted hand grasped the signal 
rope, and drew some blood. Quartermaster 
Manuel Rivas, who was at the wheel, was struck 
in the side by a splinter, but was not seriously 
hurt. Then the Guido surrendered. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 409 

A PriTilegfed Frencli Steamer. 

An untoward incident of the blockade was the 
capture and immediate release of the French 
steamer Lafayette. She had been exempted from 
capture by a special order of the Washington 
Government, at the request of the French Govern- 
ment. But the order was not conveyed to the fleet 
quite in time. On May 5, while the gunboat An- 
napolis was cruising off Havana she noticed the 
Lafayette making for the blockaded port at all 
speed, with the evident intention of entering the 
harbor. Commander Hunker, of the gunboat, 
immediately gave chase and a few minutes later 
was within hailing distance. Signals ordering the 
steamer to heave to were run up, but they were 
disregarded, and the more persuasive argument 
of a blank shot was used with instant effect. 

The warship's whaleboat, with an officer, was 
sent out to the Frenchman, whose manifest was 
inspected, and the results were sent to Com- 
mander Hunker. The latter ordered the board- 
ing officer to warn the captain of the Frenchman 
that Havana was in a state of blockade, and that 
he would have to make for his ultimate destina- 
tion, Vera Cruz, Mexico, without touching at any 
port in Cuba. Captain De Chapelaine, the com- 
mander of the French vessel, agreed to do this, 
and the boarding officer and his crew returned to 
the Annapolis. 



41 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Some hours later, or just after dark, the 
Lafayette was again detected trying to slip through 
the line of the blockading squadron, and the 
Annapolis again gave chase. The Wilmington, 
the Vicksburg and two of the tugs joined in the 
hunt, and, after another gun was fired across the 
Frenchman's bows, she again hove to. This time 
a permanent boarding crew under Ensign Sega- 
mond, of the Wilmington, was placed aboard, 
and, escorted by the latter vessel, the prize was 
headed for Key West, where she arrived early 
next morning. Her arrival there caused con- 
siderable sensation, as it was said that she had 
left Corunna after the blockade had been declared, 
and that she carried among her 161 passengers a 
number of officers of the Spanish army, besides 
arms, ammunition, medicine and other contra- 
band of war. 

Early in the day the prize commission went 
out to the Lafayette and made a critical exam- 
ination of her manifest. While this work was in 
progress a note was received from Commodore 
Watson, who had just taken command of the 
squadron, saying that he had received orders 
from Washington requiring him to release the 
Lafayette and have her convoyed to Havana by a 
man-of-war. The ship's papers were at once re- 
turned to her commander and he was informed 
that he was free to go to Havana. - 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE WAR IN THE FAR EAST THE OPPOSING FLEETS- 
PANIC AT MANILA ENTERING MANILA BAY 

THE BATTLE OF MANILA THE SPANIARDS 

BRAVE, BUT BEATEN A HALT FOR BREAKFAST 

FINISHING THE JOB AN UNRIVALED PERFORM- 
ANCE T E L L I N G THE NEWS — THE PRESIDENT 

THANKS DEWEY — DEWEY's RECORD TAKING POS- 
SESSION OF THE PHILIPPINES. 




OON AFTER the opening of the war, 
expectation began to turn toward the 
Far East. Spain had a considerable 
fleet in the waters of the Philippine Islands, with 
which she might menace our commerce in the 
Pacific Ocean, and even cause some annoyance to 
the California coast. It seemed imperative that 
it should be promptly destroyed or captured. 
Accordingly, instructions were sent to Commo- 
dore George Dewey, commanding the American 
fleet in that part of the world, to proceed to 
Manila and deal with the Spanish fleet according 
to his own discretion. 

Dewey was then at Hong Kong. His fleet 
contained not more than half as many ships as 

(4ii) 



412 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the Spanish, but they were larger and better ships, 
and he felt no doubt as to the result of an engage- 
ment. On April 27 he set out for the scene of 
battle. It was announced that the Spanish fleet 
would come out of the harbor and meet him in 
the open sea. Meantime the land defences of the 
harbor were strengthened, and the Spanish Gov- 
ernor issued various proclamations, defying and 
vilely calumniating the Americans. One of his 
proclamations declared that "the American peo- 
ple are composed of all social excrescences, who 
have exhausted our patience and provoked war 
with their perfidious machinations, their acts of 
treachery and their outrages against the law of na- 
tions and international conventions." The proc- 
lamation proceeded to say : "A squadron manned 
by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor 
discipline, comes to the Archipelago, with the ruf- 
fianly intention of robbing us of all that means 
life, honor and liberty. The aggressors shall not 
profane the tombs of your fathers. They shall 
not gratify their lustful passions at the cost of 
your wives and daughters. They shall not cover 
you with dishonor or appropriate the property 
your industry has accumulated as a provision for 
your old age. They shall not perpetrate any of 
the crimes inspired by their wickedness and 
coveteousness ; because your valor and patriot- 
ism will suffice to punish this miserable people, 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 413 

which, claiming to be civilized and cultivated, have 
exterminated the unhappy natives of North 
America, instead of bringing to them the light of 
civilization and of progress." 

The Opposing: Fleets. 

The United States fleet, under Commodore 
Dewey, consisted of the following ships : 

The flagship Olympia, one of the best cruis- 
ers afloat, Captain C. V. Gridley. 

The cruiser Baltimore, Captain N. M. Dyer. 

The cruiser Boston, Captain Frank Wildiez. 

The cruiser Concord, Commander Asa 
Walker. 

The cruiser Raleigh, Captain J. B. Coghlan. 

The gunboat Petrel, Commander E. P. Wood. 

The dispatch-boat Hugh McCulloch. 

The steamer Nanshan, storeship. 

The steamer Zafiro, collier. 

Opposed to it was the following fleet, com- 
manded by Admiral Montojo : 

The cruiser Reina Cristina. 

The cruiser Castilla. 

The cruiser Velasco. 

The cruiser Don Juan de Austria. 

The gunboat Paraguay. 

The gunboat Ulloa. 

The gunboat El Cano. 

The gunboat General Lezo. 

The gunboat Marquez del Duero. 



414 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The transport General Alava. 
The transport Manila. 
The transport Cebu, 

Panic at Manila, 

Meantime there was something much like a 
state of panic at Manila. The American Consul, 
Mr. Williams, who was warned on April 15 by- 
cable to leave Manila, sent warning to the Amer- 
ican residents and began negotiations with Gov- 
ernor-General Primo de Rivera to hand over the 
affairs of the American Consulate to the British 
Consul, E. A. Rawson Walker. 

Rivera professed to be ignorant of the strained 
relations between the United States and Spain, so 
he cabled to Madrid for instructions, as Spanish 
consent was necessary for the transfer. Rivera 
temporized for several days, until the arrival of 
General Augusti, his successor, when the transfer 
was made. The American colony at Manila con- 
sisted of twenty -five persons engaged in business. 
Williams warned them to wind up business and 
leave as soon as possible. Several went away, 
but the majority went on board British vessels in 
the harbor to await the outcome of Dewey's arrival. 

One American named Johnson refused to go, 
as his wife had just given birth to a child and 
could not be moved. Consul Williams was 
treated with much courtesy, but as soon as he de- 
serted the consulate the insignia of the United 




<0 






WAR WITH SPAIN. 417 

States on the shield over the door were taken 
down and kicked into splinters. Only one Amer- 
ican ship was left in the harbor, the Great 
Admiral, which was loading hemp for New York. 
Captain Stirling's papers were not accurate, and 
he feared to sail lest some Spanish cruiser would 
seize him because of defective papers. 

Consul Williams went away on the steamer 
Esmeralda. The Chinese, who feared their prop- 
erty would be looted, offered large sums for pas- 
sage on the steamer. One hundred and fifty dol- 
lars bonus was offered above the ordinary fare of 
$50, and some paid as high as $250 merely for 
deck passage. The steamer is allowed to take 
two hundred deck passengers, but this number 
was largely increased. 

When Consul Williams reached Hong Kong 
he made his headquarters with Consul-General 
Rounseville Wildman. 

He brought complete maps of the harbor and 
plans of all the fortifications. With Wildman he 
went down to the fleet at Mires Bay and held a 
conference with Admiral Dewey, at which the 
plan of attack was perfected. It was decided that 
Dewey should attack the Spanish fleet wherever 
he found it, as it was recognized it would be more 
important to destroy or cripple the fleet than to 
capture Manila, as then American merchant ves- 
sels would be safe. 
24 



41 8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Entering Manila Bay. 

Despite the boasts of the Spanish commander, 
the Spanish fleet did not go out to meet the 
American, but remained in harbor, under the 
guns of the forts of Manila and Cavite. Dewey 
reached Subig Bay, thirty miles north of Manila, 
on Saturday, April 30, and having as yet seen 
nothing of the enemy, sent two of his ships, the 
Baltimore and the Concord, forward to reconnoitre. 
They went as far as the entrance to Manila Bay, 
and found no Spanish ships. So Dewey decided 
to go ahead and enter the harbor. 

It was midnight, that night, when the fleet 
arrived at the dark gateway that led into the 
capital of the Philippines. There were forts on 
both sides, and on the two islands which lay in 
the narrow channel, and torpedoes and submarine 
mines were supposed to be abundant. But the 
gallant Vermonter, who had fought with Farragut, 
never hesitated a moment. 

The "wee, small hours" of Sunday morning, 
May Day, were beginning to grow toward sunrise 
when the fleet passed the forts of Corregidor 
Island. The flagship had passed more than a 
mile beyond them, and the others were swiftly 
following, with the prospect of all getting in with- 
out discovery or the firing of a shot, when a few 
sparks flew up from the smokestack of the Mc- 
Culloch. They gave the alarm to the Spanish 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 419 

garrison, and in an instant several shells were 
sent screaming over the water, toward the ships. 
They fell wide of the mark, however, and the fleet 
swept on uninjured. But it was not in Yankee 
blood to be shot at without reply. In the uncer- 
tain light the gunners of the Raleigh, Concord 
and Boston fired back, without a moment check- 
ing the progress of the ships. Their shells went 
straight to the mark, and the forts ashore were 
quickly silenced. Then Dewey gave orders for 
the men to lie down and sleep for an hour or two 
before the day's work began. 

The Battle of Manila. 

It was a calm and lovely Sunday morning, 
when the American fleet came sweeping slowly up 
the sparkling waters of Manila Bay. All was serene 
and peaceful. The Spanish ships were lying close 
to the shore, under the guns of the forts at Cavite, 
at the south side of the bay. Some of them were 
behind its great stone breakwater. The Olympia 
led the advance with not a sign of life about her, 
nor any sound nor motion save the measured 
throbbing of her mighty engines. 

The Spanish began firing first, their shells 
dropping all around the Olympia, but doing her 
no harm. Then, as a shell burst directly over 
her, a hoarse cry came from the boatswain's mate 
at the after 5-inch gun, and "Remember the 
Maine ! " arose from the five hundred men at the 



420 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

guns. The watchword was caught up in the tun 
rets and fire-rooms, until, wherever seaman or 
fireman stood at his post, "Remember the 
Maine! " had rung out for defiance and revenge, 
The utterance seemed unpremeditated, but it was 
evidently in every man's mind, and now that the 
moment had come to make an adequate reply to 
the murder of the Maine's crew, every man 
shouted what was in his heart. 

The Olympia was now ready to begin the 
fight. Commodore Dewey, his chief of stafi\ 
Commander Lamberton, and several other offi- 
cers were on the forward bridge. Captain Grid 
ley was at his station in the conning tower. 

It was just 5.40 by the clock. The Olympia 
was about 5,600 yards from the foe. Turning 
quietly, and with the coolest and calmest of man- 
ners, Commodore Dewey said : 

"You may fire whenever you are ready 
Captain Gridley." 

Captain Gridley was ready. Within a minute 
one of his 8-inch guns roared answer, and the 
battle was on. 

The Spaniards Brave, but Beaten. 

The other ships at once began firing and the 
conflict became general. Our fire was directed 
chiefly, at first, at the Spanish ships Reina Cris- 
tina and Castilla. The range was too great for 
accuracy, and the Spaniards seemed encouraged 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 421 

to fire faster, knowing exactly our distance, while 
we had to guess theirs. 

It was very evident that Admiral Montojo 
had not expected the enemy so soon, but having 
recovered from the first surprise of the attack, he 
directed the operations of his fleet with great 
bravery and considerable skill. 

Early in the battle he steamed towards the 
enemy as though challenging the American Ad- 
miral to single combat. A terrible fire was 
brought to bear upon the Reina Cristina, in the 
face of which she was compelled to retire in a 
sinking condition. 

She directed her course as well as she could 
towards the harbor of Cavite, steaming slowly. 
Then a big shell struck her, burst between decks, 
and set her on fire. She foundered before reach- 
ing the harbor, and many men went down with 
her. 

A Halt for Breakfast. 

When eight o'clock struck, Commodore 
Dewey signalled for all hands to stop firing and 
retire out of range for breakfast. The men had 
been hard at work for more than two hours, on 
nothing but a cup of coffee. Yet they were re- 
luctant to quit fighting, even for an hour. Some 
of them became almost mutinous when ordered 
to stop firing. Their feeling was well expressed 
by one gunner, who turned to Commander Lam- 



42 2 WAR WITH SPAIN, 

berton with tears in his eyes, and cried, "For 
God's sake, Captain, don't stop now ; let's finish 
'em up right off. To hell with breakfast." Old 
Purdy, a privileged petty officer because he had 
served in the navy or army nearly fifty years, was 
greeted by the Commodore on Saturday, when 
the old man shifted his quid and said, "I hope 
you won't fight on the third of May, Commodore." 
"Why not?" asked the Commodore. "Well, 
you see, I got licked the last time I fought on 
that date," he answered. Purdy had been with 
Hooker at Chancellorsville, and he did not like 
that anniversary. 

Finishing the Job. 

Dewey took his time. He told the men to 
eat a good breakfast, and get well rested. Then, 
a little before ten o'clock, action was resumed. 
The ships now paid special attention to the shore 
batteries. A tremendous fire was rained upon 
them, and before long their fire slackened, and 
ultimately all were silenced. 

Meantime the Spanish warships had not been 
neglected, and a transport had been sent to the 
bottom. 

About ten o'clock occurred one of the most 
stirring scenes of a stirring day. The Spanish 
cruiser Don Antonio de Ulloa had made a heroic 
fight. The great guns of the powerful American 
cruisers had swept her decks of every structure, 



War with spain. 423 

and not a living man remained upon the upper 
deck. But the guns on the lower decks still shot 
out defiance at the enemy. 

Finally the cruiser's hull was riddled like a 
sieve, water poured through the numerous rents, 
and with her flag flying and her lower guns firing 
to the last, the Don Antonio de Ulloa foundered 
with all hands. 

The Spaniards hauled down their flag at a 
quarter-past twelve, after a hard-fought fight of 
seven hours. 

An Unrivalled Performance. 

So ended this battle, one of the most note- 
worthy ever fought in all the world. The American 
fleet had engaged a fleet numerically its superior, 
and an array of land batteries at the same time. 
It had done so in strange waters, the home waters 
of the enemy. It had destroyed every Spanish 
ship and silenced every battery. And it had done 
so without the loss of a single ship, nor even serious 
injury to one, and without the loss of a single life. 
There was nothing like that on record before. 

There was an act of treachery on the part of a 
Spanish warship, which lowered her flag and then 
fired at a boat's crew sent to take possession of her. 
She did not hit the boat, but our guns were turned 
on her and tore her to pieces. She went to the 
bottom with all on board. Several vessels close in- 
shore behaved in the same way and shared her fate. 



424 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The Spaniards had fought to their last gasp 
and now surrendered. They had been announcing 
that the Americans would kill every one in Cavite, 
and when we landed a long procession of priests 
and Sisters of Mercy met the boat from the Petrel 
and begged our men not to injure the wounded 
in the hospital. As a matter of fact, the Ameri- 
cans rescued some two hundred Spaniards and 
sent them ashore. 

Commodore Dewey's orders were to capture 
or destroy the Spanish fleet, and never were in- 
structions executed in more complete fashion. At 
the end of seven hours there was nothing left of 
the Spanish fleet but a few relics. The American 
commander had most skilfully arranged every 
detail of the action, and even the apparently in- 
significant features where carried out with perfect 
punctuality and in railroad time-table order. 

At the end of the action Commodore Dewey 
anchored his fleet in the bay before Manila and 
sent a message to Governor-General Augusti, 
announcing the beginning of the blockade and 
adding that if a shot should be fired against his 
ships he would destroy every battery about 
Manila. 

The position occupied by the Spaniards, the 
support which their ships received from the land 
batteries and the big guns they had ashore gave 
them an enormous advantage. Therefore, when 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 425 

it is considered that the Spaniards lost over six 
hundred men in killed and wounded, that all their 
ships, probably fourteen, were destroyed and that 
the naval arsenal at Cavite was also destroyed, 
with its defenses, it will become apparent that the 
victory of the American Commodore was one of 
the most complete and wonderful achievements in 
the history of naval warfare. 

Telling: tlie News. 

The first news of the battle came through 
Spanish channels, the cable from Manila to Hong 
Kong being in Spanish hands. It was stated that 
a great victory had been won for Spain. The 
Madrid Government was jubilant, its people wild 
with delight. A few hours later the truth was 
told, and then martial law had to be established in 
Madrid and throughout Spain, to repress the fury 
of the enraged populace. 

It was six days later when full reports came 
to hand. They had been sent by steamer from 
Manila to Hong Kong, and thence by cable to 
Washington. 

The American commander's dispatches were 
brief and modest. This was the first : 

"Manila, May i. — Squadron arrived at Manila 
at daybreak this morning. Immediately engaged 
the enemy, and destroyed the following Spanish 
vessels : Reina Cristina, Castilla, Don Antonio de 
Ulloa, Isla de Luzon, Isla de Cuba, General Lezo, 



426 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Marquis de Duero, Cano, Velasco, Isla de Min- 
danao, a transport, and water battery at Cavite. 
The squadron is uninjured, and only a few men 
are slightly wounded. Only means of telegraph- 
ing is to American Consul at Hong Kong. I shall 
communicate with him. Dewey." 

Following is the second message : 

"Cavite, May 4. — I have taken possession of 
naval station at Cavite, on Philippine Islands. 
Have destroyed the fortifications at bay entrance, 
paroling the garrison. I control bay completely 
and can take city at any time. The squadron is 
in excellent health and spirits. Spanish loss not 
fully known, but very heavy. One hundred and 
fifty killed, including captain of Reina Cristina. 
I am assisting in protecting Spanish sick and 
wounded; 250 sick and wounded in hospital with- 
in our lines. Much excitement at Manila. Will 
protect foreign residents. Dewey." 

The President Thanks Dewey. 

By direction of the President, Secretary Long 
sent this dispatch to Commodore Dewey: 
"Dewey, Manila. Washington, May 7, 1898. 

"The President, in the name of the American 
people, thanks you and your officers and men for 
your splendid achievement and overwhelming 
victory. In recognization he has appointed you 
Acting Admiral, and will recommend a vote of 
thanks to you by Congress. Long." 



War with spain. 427 

Then the President and the two houses of 
Congress hastened to express the country's 
gratitude for the brilliant victory won by Commo- 
dore Dewey's squadron off Manila, and to reward 
in time-honored fashion the gallantry of the 
officers and men whose triumph had shed fresh 
lustre on American discipline and valor. Fulfill- 
ing the promise of his cable dispatch of congrat- 
ulation to Commodore Dewey, the President, in a 
felicitous message, reciting the achievement of the 
Asiatic squadron, suggested to Congress that the 
Nation's thanks be given to the fleet commander 
and to the officers and men who had helped him 
to crush the Spanish forces in the Philippines. 
Both houses accordingly passed by a unanimous 
vote a resolution voicing the gratitude felt by the 
American people for the ''highly distinguished 
conduct in conflict with the enemy" shown by 
Commodore Dewey and by all his subordinates, 
and directing the President to convey this ex- 
pression of thanks to the officers and men of the 
fleet at Manila. 

But the action of the two houses did not 
stop with the single compliment of a vote of thanks 
— exceptional and highly prized as that distinc- 
tion is. Both branches passed without opposition 
a bill increasing the number of rear-admirals in 
the Navy from six to seven, thus creating a 
vacancy in that grade, to which the President had 



428 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

practically given notice that he would at once 
advance the commander of the Asiatic squadron. 
A sword of honor was also voted to Dewey, and 
commemorative medals to all his men. 
Dewey's Record. 
Admiral Dewey, the hero of Manila, had 
had a long and creditable career of service. He 
entered the Naval Academy from Vermont in 
September, 1854. Being graduated in 1858, he 
was assigned to the frigate Wabash, of the Euro- 
pean squadron, and remained in Mediterranean 
waters until the outbreak of the war. Returning 
to this country in 1861, he was detailed to the 
Mississippi, one of the vessels in the West Gulf 
squadron, serving in her until she was destroyed 
in 1863. It was during this time that the squad- 
ron was engaged in the capture of New Orleans. 
Commodore Dewey was then a lieutenant. The 
Mississippi was under command of Captain 
Melancthon Smith, and just as the end of the 
battle of New Orleans appeared to be in sight the 
Confederate ram Manasses came down the river 
at full speed to attack the Union fleet. Admiral 
Farragut directed the Mississippi to turn and run 
her down. She obeyed, but when within a few 
yards of the enemy the Manasses turned and ran 
ashore. The Mississippi poured two broadsides 
into her and sent her to the bottom of the river a 
total wreck. The Mississippi while trying to run 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 429 

the batteries of Port Hudson on March 21, 1863, 
grounded and heeled to port. In spite of the 
desperate efforts of the crew, she could not be 
saved. The enemy, getting the range, poured 
shell after shell into her hull, and Captain Smith 
ordered her fired, and the crew escaped in their 
boats. 

After the destruction of the Mississippi, 
Lieutenant Dewey was assigned to the steamboat 
Agawam, of the North Atlantic blockading fleet, 
and assisted in two attacks on Fort Fisher — one 
in December, 1864, and the other in January, 
1865. On March 3, 1865, he was commissioned 
lieutenant-commander, and served on the old 
Kearsarge. At the close of the war he went 
aboard the Colorado, the flagship of the European 
squadron, and remained on her until 1867. For 
two years thereafter he did shore duty, being 
assigned to the Naval Academy. He was next 
placed in command of the Narragansett, in special 
service, in 1870 and 1871, and was again assigned 
to shore duty a year later at the Torpedo Station. 
He was made a commander on April 13, 1873, 
and was in charge of the Narragansett on the 
Pacific survey until 1875, when he was appointed 
lighthouse inspector for two years. He then be- 
came secretary of the Board, and retained that 
post until 1882. In command of the Juniata, 
of the Asiatic squadron, from 1882 to 1883, he 



43° WAR WITH SPAIN. 

was promoted to a captaincy in September, 1884, 
commanding the Dolphin in the same year. He 
was next transferred to the Pensacola, on the 
European station. In 1889 he was summoned to 
Washington, to become for four years the chief 
of the Bureau of Equipment and Recruiting, and 
that service was succeeded by another detail to 
the Lighthouse Board. From this duty he was 
relieved to accept the presidency of the important 
Board of Inspection and Review, which he held, 
until, as a commodore, he was sent in November, 
1897, to command the Asiatic station. 

Taking Possession of the Philippines* 
A few days after the victory at Manila, the 
Washington Government took steps toward the 
complete and permanent occupation of the 
Philippine Islands. The great warships Monterey 
and Monadnock and the cruiser Charleston were 
sent thitherto reinforce Dewey's fleet, and Major- 
General Merritt, with an army of 20,000 men, 
was sent out to assume control as Military Gov- 
ernor. His commission clothed him with greater 
discretionary powers than had ever up to that 
time been granted to an agent of this Govern- 
ment. Except in his relations with foreign 
Powers growing out of possible complications in 
the East, which are to be referred to Washington 
for negotiation, General Merritt's control of affairs 
will be practically supreme. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



WITH THE BLOCKADING FLEET— SHELLING MATAN- 

ZAS OTHER SHIPS JOIN IN GETTING CLOSER 

TO THE MARK "CEASE FIRING ! " ABOARD SHIP 

SCENES ON THE NEW YORK THE MEN AT 

THE GUNS SICK MEN WANTED TO BE IN IT 

BLANCO'S MULE STORY CAVALRY AGAINST NAVY 

THE ADMIRAL TEACHES ANOTHER LESSON 

THE CARDENAS TRAGEDY HELPLESS UNDER 

FIRE THE FATAL SHOT — DAMAGE TO THE 

ENEMY ENSIGN WORTH BAGLEY THE GUSSIE's 

FAILURE BOMBARDING SAN JUAN THE BATTLE 

OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA SPANIARDS ON THE 

RUN LINE CUT OFF MOLE ST. NICHOLAS. 



(f 



HERE WAS plenty of work and excite- 
ment for the blockading fleet without 
merely capturing prizes. After the firing 
by Morro Castle, as told in a former chapter, 
the temptation to throw a few shells into Havana 
was very strong, but was resisted. However, a 
chance to try the guns soon came, not at Havana, 
but at Matanzas. The trouble there began on 
April 24. We have already told how part of the 
fleet went thither. The torpedo-boat Foote went 
in to about three hundred yards from shore to 
take soundings, and was thus engaged, when sud- 

(431) 



43 2 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

denly a masked battery at the entrance to Matan- 
zas harbor opened fire upon her. Three dis- 
charges were made in quick succession. They all 
went wide of the mark, and the shot struck the 
water a quarter of a mile away. The officers and 
men on the torpedo-boat Foote were momentarily 
startled by the volley, then observations were 
taken. The cruiser Cincinnati, which was stand- 
ing off, was hailed by the torpedo-boat, and Lieu- 
tenant Rodgers made his report through the mega- 
phone. 

'T have to report," he said, " that we are 
sounding within the 20-fathom line." Then he 
added: "We seem to have drawn the enemy's 
fire from shore. We have been fired at three 
times." The orders of Captain Chester, in com- 
mand of the cruiser Cincinnati, did not permit 
shelling Matanzas, so the fire from the masked 
battery was not returned. 

Shelling Matanzas. 

But the response to the Spanish shots was 
merely postponed. On April 27 it was noticed 
that the Spaniards were building new fortifications 
at Matanzas, and Admiral Sampson thought it 
would be a good plan to stop them, and at the 
same time to give his gunners a little practical 
target pactice. So he turned in toward the harbor 
with his flagship, the New York, the big monitor 
Puritan, and the cruiser Cincinnati. Then " Gen- 



0) 

S3 
* 
to 

to 
B* 

B 






■00 

e 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 435 

eral quarters ! " was sounded, and the men rushed 
eagerly to the guns. When the New York was 
about 4,000 yards from Punta Gorda, the order to 
begin firing was given. Cadet Boone, in charge 
of an 8-inch gun amidships on the port side, fired 
the first shot. This was at 12.56 p. m. Fifty 
pairs of glasses were levelled from the flagship at 
the shore. It seemed minutes before the yellow 
smoke cleared away, but in reality it was less than 
five seconds. Then a little cloud of dust was 
seen to rise at the right of the earthworks. "For 
the first attempt at 4,000 yards it was by no means 
a bad shot. 

Without the aid of glasses the objective 
point could be clearly defined. With a deafening 
roar the 8-inch gun in the forward turret let fly its 
iron missile. It landed high. The after turret 
came next with the same sized projectile. A 
shout of delight went up from the flagship as a 
dense cloud rose slowly from the very centre of 
the earthworks, showing how true had been the 
aim. Then from the entire port side a fearful 
fusillade was poured on the shore, the four turret 
guns firing almost simultaneously and the 4-inch 
guns adding their smaller hail. When the smoke 
blew away Punta Gorda was dotted with dust 
clouds that looked like miniature geysers spring- 
ing suddenly from the earth. Each showed where 
a shot had struck. 

25 



436 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

At this stage the guns in the Quintas da 
Recreo battery were observed to be firing on the 
flagship. This fort is on the eastward arm of the 
harbor, 7,000 yards from where the flagship was 
lying. It is provided with four 8-inch guns. The 
flagship's fire was at once directed upon it. 
Other Ships Join In. 

Up to this period the New York had been 
firing alone. Captain Harrington on the Puritan, 
and Captain Chester on the Cincinnati, had drawn 
up, and were vigorously signalling for permission 
to fire. When this was reported to Admiral 
Sampson, he said, "All right; tell them to go 
ahead." So, while the New York was opening 
fire on Quintas da Recreo, the Puritan took a 
position to the eastward and opened on the same 
point. The Cincinnati went to the westward and 
pounded a rapid-fire broadside into the earthworks 
on Punta Gorda. 

Occasionally shots from Quintas da Recreo 
could be seen coming in the direction of the New 
York. All fell very short, and at no time threat- 
ened the ship. Only about ten shots are believed 
to have been fired from this battery during the 
whole engagement. However, there may have 
been more. It is possible that its guns were 
disabled, as two 8-inch shells were distinctly seen 
to land square in the fort. Its distance from the 
ship was so great and the smoke, which the 






WAR WITH SPAIN. 437 

wind took in its direction, so thick, that it was hard 
to judge the effect of the fire, and still harder 
to get good aim. For about five minutes Quin. 
tas daRecreo got the full benefit of the port broad- 
sides of the New York and the Puritan. 
Getting: Closer to the Mark. 
What its ultimate fate would have been is 
hard to tell had not attention been diverted from 
it by a shell from Punta Gorda that whizzed over 
the New York and fell a little short of the Cincin- 
nati. Leaving Quintas da Recreo to the tender 
mercies of the Puritan, which was still merrily 
banging away, Captain Chadwick put his helm to 
starboard, until the port battery once more bore 
on the Punta Gorda earthworks. Another shell 
came from shore, whizzing along over the flagship. 
"Too high, but a better shot than I thought they 
could make," said an officer. Then the Cincin- 
nati and the New York poured shot into the yellow 
earthworks and the surrounding land, until the 
smoke hid everything from view. Only one more 
shot from Punta Gorda was noticed. It fell short 
of the New York by about two hundred yards. 
It was believed to have come, not from the earth- 
works, but from a field battery on the brow of a 
slight hill about half a mile further inland than the 
earthworks. In fact, it is doubtful whether any 
shots were fired from the earthworks after the two 
or three broadsides had been poured into them. 



43 8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

What became of the soldiers seen on Punta 
Gorda is not known. Some declared they saw 
them running to the brow of the hill where the 
field battery was thought to be stationed. But 
this, as well as the estimate of the enemy's num- 
ber, which ranged from four hundred to four 
thousand, was purely supposition, distance and 
smoke preventing accurate knowledge. 

44 Cease Firing: ! " 

At 1. 1 5 p.m., when the bombardment was at 
its height, and after it had been in progress for 
nineteen minutes, Admiral Sampson ordered 
"Cease firing ! " to be sounded. A few shots rang 
out from the Cincinnati and the Puritan before 
they caught the signal. 

On shore all was quiet. Not a soul could be 
seen there, and there was no more firing. The 
earthworks a quarter-hour before had presented 
a fairly regular outline, but now they had a jagged 
appearance. Big gaps were plainly visible at 
Quintas da Recreo. There was not a sign of life 
there. Admiral Sampson had effectually stopped 
the work at Punta Gorda. He had drawn the 
fire of the enemy, and had discovered exactly the 
quality and location of their batteries, besides 
affording three ships good target practice. Inci- 
dentally he had put the fear of American guns 
into Spanish hearts. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 439 

Aboard Ship. 

This bombardment also gave an excellent, 
though at the same time a frightful illustration of 
a warship's death-dealing powers. Tremendous 
broadsides poured without cessation on the little 
streak of earthworks. Had a single ship been in 
the place where the shells fell it seems as if she 
would have been blown to bits before she could 
have returned the fire. When a i o,ooo-ton ship, 
usually as steady as a rock, shakes and trembles 
like a frightened child ; when firmly fitted bolts 
start from their sockets and window-panes and 
wood-work are shattered ; when the roar peals up 
from port and starboard, and you feel your feet 
leaving the deck and your glasses jumping 
around your forehead, while a blinding, black- 
ening smoke hides everything from sight, then it 
is that you first realize the terrible power of a 
modern warship's batteries. 

Scenes on the New York:. 

Scenes of intense human interest occurred 
on the flagship's deck during the bombardment. 
The centre of attraction, naturally, was the for- 
ward bridge, where Admiral Sampson paced up 
and down, his long glass in hand, pausing now 
and then to watch the effect of the shots, im- 
passive as if at sub-calibre target practice off the 
Dry Tortugas. Captain Chadwick was at his side, 
in the dual capacity of chief of staff and captain of 



440 WAR WITH SPAIN, 

the ship, equally calm, and giving orders con- 
tinuously regarding the direction of the fire and 
the handling of the ship. Lieutenant Stanton, 
assistant chief of staff; Lieutenant-Commander 
Potter, executive officer of the ship, and Lieu- 
tenant J. Roller, the navigator, all were on the 
bridge, and as busy as they could be. Three 
men were at the wheel, and the usual staff of 
lookouts and signal boys were in their places. 
The conning tower, with its heavily protected 
sides, was without an occupant. The whistling 
of a few shells could not drive the men who direct 
the fighting squadron from their unprotected 
place of vantage. 

Directly beneath the bridge on the super- 
structure, just aft and slightly above the forward 
turret, stood Chaplain Royce. The chaplain and 
the three doctors were the only persons on board 
who sincerely hoped they would have no work to 
do. All others were at their regular stations, 
directing the gun crews, rushing up ammunition 
from below or standing patiently in the engine- 
room, waiting to back or go ahead, as the tele- 
graph signalled. 

The Men at the Guns. 

The way the "jackies " worked at their guns 
was splendid. Many of them were stripped to 
the waist. The muscles stood out on their bare, 
tattooed arms. The perspiration ran down their 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 441 

faces, and mixing with the gunpowder, made 
grim streaks of black over their skins. When 
"Cease firing" sounded disappointment was writ- 
ten visibly on all their faces. But the decks were 
quickly swept, the shrouds rehooked, the guns 
cooled and washed, and at dinner when the band 
played ' 'The Stars and Stripes Forever, ' ' there were 
few signs to show that the flagship New York had 
been into action for the first time in her career. 

About three hundred shots were fired during 
the bombardment, one hundred and four of which 
were from the New York. The total cost of the 
bombardment was about $3,500, expended entirely 
in ammunition. The cruiser Cincinnati did won- 
derfully quick and rapid work with her batteries. 
The monitor Puritan probably fired fewer shots 
than the others, apparently not using her rapid- 
fire guns, but taking careful aim with her 1 2- 
inch monster at Quintas da Recreo. 

To those on board the flagship who had 
never before been on a warship when she was 
firing both batteries at once, and who had never 
heard the shells whistle through the air, the ex- 
perience was not so bad as was anticipated. The 
noise of the guns deafened some slightly, but a 
timely application of wool to the ears deadened 
its effect considerably. Taken all in all, the 
shock of the broadside was not so great as had 
been expected. 



44 2 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Sick Men Wanted To Be In It. 

The most characteristic incident of the bom* 
bardment of Matanzas, and one that will go down 
in history as an instance of Yankee pluck, occurred 
in the sickbay on the flagship. Sick sailors were 
lying there, listening to the shots, all eager to get 
on deck. Suddenly, as if moved by a common im- 
pulse, four of them sprang from their cots. One 
had malaria, two had grip and another a high 
fever, but their ailments were forgotten as they 
rushed out to their gun divisions and took their 
usual stations. Despite their entreaties to be 
allowed to stay, they were ordered back to the 
sickbay, to which they sorrowfully returned. It is 
hardly necessary to say that these four splendid 
specimens of "the man behind the gun" were not 
reported for breach of discipline. 

Blanco's Mule Story. 

Marshal Blanco sent an amusing report of 
this affair to the Madrid Government. He said : 

Three American cruisers fired on the bat- 
teries of Fort Morillo, at Matanzas, without doing 
any damage. We fired fourteen shots, to which 
the Americans replied with a multitude of mitrail- 
leuse (quick-firing) shots, which did not do any 
injury. The American squadron also fired fourteen 
cannon shots at the Sabanilla battery, only one mule 
being killed. The Spanish battery only replied 
with four shots, as the squadron was beyond range. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 443 

Cavalry Against Navy. 

A few days later came an amusing incident. 
The New York was lying about two miles off 
shore at the picturesque harbor of Cabanas. It 
was early evening, and the ship's band was play- 
ing its usual dinner music, when from a hill to the 
eastward of Cabanas Harbor came the sound of 
volley firing. It was plainly a small-arms attack, 
though no smoke could be seen. The enemy was 
thought to be hidden close to the beach in front 
of a ruined white building, which sloped as if it 
had once been the hacienda of a tobacco plan- 
tation. Now and again individual firing was 
heard, and well-regulated volleys continued. It 
was estimated that a troop of cavalry, dismounted, 
was doing the firing. 

The officers of the flagship stood on her deck 
trying to ascertain definitely the location of the 
enemy, more amused than annoyed at this novel 
method of attacking an armored cruiser. 

The Admiral Teaches Another Wesson, 

Rear-Admiral Sampson decided that the 
lesson taught at Matanzas must be taught again 
at Cabanas. 

"Man the port battery!" was the order. 

At a few minutes after 6 o'clock the four-inch 
gun in the after port battery sent a shot flying 
over the water into Cuba's soil, raising a little 
cloud of dust about one hundred yards in front of 



444 WAR with spain, 

the hacienda, and just about where the Spanish 
cavalry stood. Before the hills, growing dim in 
the evening mist, had ceased echoing and rever- 
berating the other 4-inch gun in the after battery 
had landed its projectile. A few more shots from 
this battery were fired. The ground was evi- 
dently damp, as no dust arose, and it was hard 
to tell where the shells struck. They were fired 
at 3,400 yards range. The Spaniards were not 
heard from after the first shot. 

The Cardenas Tragedy, 
The first loss of life on the American side in 
the war occurred on May 11, at Cardenas. The 
gunboat Wilmington, the torpedo-boat Winslow, 
and the revenue cutter Hudson were taking 
soundings when a Spanish gunboat was seen near 
shore. The Winslow started in to capture her. 
When the Winslow was about 1,500 yards from 
the shore, a masked battery suddenly opened fire 
upon her. The plucky little torpedo-boat replied, 
and pressed on nearer. Then a 10-inch shell 
struck her, wrecking her steam steering gear and 
rendering her for the time helpless. Despite this 
unfortunate incident the little vessel replied vig- 
orously with her three guns until one of them was 
disabled by a fragment of shell. The other guns 
continued to operate, while the men who were not 
otherwise engaged gathered to connect the hand- 
steering apparatus. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 445 

In the mean time another io-inch shell 
struck the Winslow on the port side, wrecking 
her forward boiler, to which the port engine was 
attached and which was held in reserve in case of 
accident to the aft boiler. Dense clouds of steam 
filled the compartment, driving the men who were 
at work there to seek the deck for air. 
Helpless Under Fire. 

A knot of these men gathered on the forward 
deck, where Ensign Bagley was stationed to 
watch the boat's course and carry orders to the 
engine room. With one engine and boiler disa- 
bled and the other engine and boiler not in opera- 
tion the situation of the Winslow was perilous. 

To add to the danger the forward hand- 
steering gear was destroyed by a piece of shell. 
While the machinists were attempting to rig up 
the aft steering apparatus the engineers coupled 
the aft boiler to the starboard engine. 

The propeller, revolving without the guidance 
of the rudder, set the little boat moving to and fro 
like a shuttle, and to the men on the other vessels 
it seemed as though the Winslow was doomed. 

But she was not to perish without an effort 
to save her, for as soon as he realized her plight, 
Lieutenant Newcomb, of the Hudson, without 
receiving any orders, steamed straight up to the 
Winslow to tow her out of harm's way. In doing 
this the Hudson was exposed to the enemy's fire. 



446 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Apparently, however, the Spanish commander 
had gone mad on the subject of destroying the 
torpedo-boat, for he did not deign to fire at the 
Hudson, but continued to hurl shells at the hap- 
less Winslow. The guns of the latter barked 
back at the foe viciously. 

As the Hudson approached the Winslow, 
Ensign Bagley cried out : 

" Pass us a line quickly ! This is too hot ! " 
Xlie Fatal Shot. 

The Hudson's crew threw the line, and it was 
made fast. Just as the hawser drew taut a 10- 
inch shell fell and exploded in the middle of the 
group of men who had been working at it on the 
Winslow. Every man in the party was thrown 
backward, all dead or mortally wounded. The 
plucky ensign, who had been in an exposed posi- 
tion during the entire conflict, was instantly killed, 
as were two of his companions. Two more, 
Meek and Tunnell, were so grievously injured 
that they died a short time later. 

When the Hudson's men saw the mutilated 
bodies of the men on the Winslow, they became 
frantic, and cursed and yelled, and it seemed as 
though they could not load and fire quick enough. 
They fired 135 rounds in thirty-three minutes. 
The guns became so hot that the gunners could 
not touch them with their hands, and manipulated 
them with their elbows. The men loaded so 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 447 

rapidly that it was a wonder that some of them 
did not have their hands cut off by the rapidly 
closing breech-locks. The guns became so heated 
that many of them expanded, and in some cases 
the shells went off prematurely, but fortunately not 
until the breech-locks had been closed. The men 
worked like beavers, and hesitated to desist when 
ordered to cease firing. Then the Hudson, with 
the Winslow in tow, moved slowly out of range. 
Damage to the Enemy. 

The engagement lasted from 1.30 to 2.35. 
While the Winslow was the target at which the 
Spaniards were aiming, the other two vessels 
kept up a heavy fire, the Hudson using the six- 
pound guns which she mounts and the Wilmington ' 
using every weapon with sufficient power. 

One of the Wilmington's shells exploded in 
a Spanish gunboat, and others fell in the town, 
setting it on fire and doing great damage to the 
warehouses and shipping along the water-front. 

The shore battery did not fire another shot 
after the Winslow was towed away by the Hud- 
son. On account of the smoke and the masking 
of the battery, the officers who participated in the 
engagement are unable to say what the Spanish 
loss in killed and wounded was, though it must 
have been heavy. The battery is believed to have 
been composed of heavy field guns, for it was 
frequently moved during the conflict. 



44-8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Ensign Worth Bagley. 

Ensign Worth Bagley, who was killed in the 
engagement at Cardenas, was the first man on 
the American side in the present war who lost his 
life in action. It is a curious and interesting fact 
that the first man in the Civil War on the 
Southern side who was killed in a regular engage- 
ment was a North Carolina soldier, named Wyatt, 
belonging to the ist Regiment of Volunteers from 
that State. He was shot at the Battle of Big 
Bethel, on the Peninsula. Ensign Bagley was 
born in Raleigh, N. C, and was about twenty-six 
years old. He was the grandson of a fine old 
North Carolina Quaker, the late Governor 
Jonathan Worth, and was a collateral descendant 
of General Worth, of New York. Young Bagley 
entered the Naval Academy on September i, 
1 89 1, having been appointed from the IVth Con- 
gress District of North Carolina. He was a good 
student, and stood well with his classes. He had 
special distinction in athletic matters. Detached 
from the academy on , graduating, June, 1895, he 
went to the receiving ship Vermont, whence he 
was sent to the cruiser Montgomery July 23, and 
thence to the Texas, on October 8. Thence he 
was sent to the Maine, on January 20, 1896. He 
was transferred back to the Texas July 20, 1896, 
where he remained until the 28th, when he 
returned to the Naval Academy for final examina- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 449 

tion. He was promoted to ensign June 30, and 
ten days later joined the Indiana, whence he was 
transferred to the Maine, on August 17. He was 
ordered to the Columbia Iron Works, Baltimore, 
on November 19, 1897, as inspector, in connection 
with fitting out the torpedo-boat Winslow, and 
when that vessel went into commission, on De- 
cember 28, he became second in command, under 
Lieutenant Bernadou. Ensign Bagley was with 
this boat last February, when, in the height of a 
gale off the Delaware Breakwater, Lieutenant 
Bernadou, with Bagley' s assistance, rescued two 
poor fellows adrift on a garbage scow. 
The Gussie's Failure. 
Down to this time the Government censor- 
ship over news was lax, and information often got 
out that should have been kept secret. It was 
quickly caught up by Spanish spies and made 
use of against this country. For example, the 
steamer Gussie was sent on May 1 2 to carry a 
cargo of arms and ammunition to the Cuban In- 
surgents. The intention to send her was made 
known, and the Spaniards made preparations 
accordingly. When she got near shore, instead 
of finding the Insurgents there to receive the 
cargo, she found a body of Spanish troops, who 
fired upon her and prevented the landing of the 
cargo. So the expedition had to return, an utter 
failure. That opened the eyes of the Govern- 



450 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

merit to the necessity of keeping its plans secret, 

and thereafter the censorship was far more strict. 

Bombarding San Juan. 

Another important bombardment occurred on 
May 12. Admiral Sampson went with part of 
his fleet to San Juan, the capital of Porto Rico, 
and battered down some of its fortifications. On 
his ships two men were killed and seven wounded, 
while the Spanish loss was much heavier. 

The battle was fought in the early light of 
day, and during the first hour a haze overhung 
the shore. Before the firing began one could 
just see the hills and an indistinct line of forts. 

The mastheads of the ships, with the Stars 
and Stripes waving from them, stood out more 
clearly, and through the smoke flashed gun after 
gun. Spanish shot kept falling all about the 
ships, sending up great columns of water. 

Big rings of smoke rolling along overhead 
showed where shells burst in the air. The forti- 
fied hilltop, too, was veiled in smoke. At quick 
intervals heavy puffs and flashes indicated the 
location of the guns. 

The Spaniards fought bravely. The rapid- 
fire guns of our squadron kept pouring a steady 
hail at every gun, and time and again drove the 
Spaniards to shelter. 

As soon as there was a lull, back the Dons 
would come and begin firing away as wildly as ever. 



to 

to 
& 




WAR WITH SPAIN, 453 

When our ships withdrew the forts poured a 
defiant rain of shells after them, and their guns 
could be heard blazing away long after our ves- 
sels were out of range. 

The Battle of Santiago de Cuba. 

At daybreak, on May 18, the St. Louis ap- 
peared off Santiago de Cuba, having been sent 
by the Admiral to cut the cable connecting Santi- 
ago and Jamaica. About 6 a.m. the American 
flag was hoisted at the masthead and all hands 
were called to quarters. The ship then swung 
round and steamed across the harbor at a distance 
of five miles from the forts, firing three shots 
from one of her forward six-pounders in the 
direction of the Morro, with the intention of draw- 
ing the fire of the forts to see what guns they had, 
but the fire was not returned. The ship then 
steamed back and forth across the harbor, getting 
gradually closer to the forts. 

About noon, the ship having reached a posi- 
tion one and a quarter miles from the Morro, the 
grapnel caught the cable. The Spaniards evi- 
dently discovered the mission of the ship about 
this time, for a battery to the east of the Morro 
opened fire with a 6-inch gun, the first shot falling 
about two hundred yards short of the ship. Cap- 
tain Goodrich now ordered the fire to be returned 
by the two 6-pounders on the starboard side, the 
only guns that could be brought to bear on the 

26 



454 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

shore battery. This was speedily done, Ensign 
Payne firing the forward gun, and Lieutenant 
Catlin the after one, and their shots began to fall 
thick and fast on shore. Another shot was fired 
from the gun on shore, and the shell whistled 
over the stern of the ship and struck the water a 
few yards beyond. 

Spaniards on the Run* 
That was the last shot from that gun, as one 
of the 6-pound shells struck the gun and disabled 
it, and the Spaniards around could be seen flying 
to the old Morro for shelter. A mortar battery 
then opened fire from the brow of a hill on Caspar 
Point, well back in the bay, and the shells began 
to fall around the ship dangerously near, some 
falling a little short of the ship, while others 
passed close overhead, with an unearthly scream, 
which seemed to say, "Where are you?" and 
then plunged in the water just beyond the ship. 
This battery was out of range of the small guns 
of the St. Louis. The little tug Wampatuck, 
commanded by Lieutenant Karl Jungen, then 
came up just ahead of the ship and opened fire 
with her one little 3-pounder, Quartermaster 
Reynolds, one of the famous Jamison raiders, 
firing the gun, and did excellent work. Another 
battery to the west of the entrance opened fire, 
but it was silenced after it had fired a few shots, 
and the gunners engaged in a foot-race similar 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 455 

to the one seen at the other battery only a short 
time before. The guns were now turned on the 
signal station to the east of the Morro, where the 
Spaniards had been engaged in signalling since 
the beginning of the engagement. The first few 
shots tore away the roof of the signal-house and 
the men stationed there left without hauling down 
their last signal. Seeing that the mortar battery 
could not be reached, and that the other batteries 
had all been silenced, the captain took the ship 
out of range of the mortars, and then stopped and 
finished heaving up the grapnel. As the grapnel 
appeared at the water's edge the cable could be 
seen hanging from two of its prongs, and a 
mighty cheer arose from the officers and crew, 
who had assembled on the forecastle. About 
two hundred fathoms of the cable were brought 
in on deck. Then the axe of Segraves rose 
and fell, and the work was done, and nobly 
done, and each man in the crew of the St. Louis 
treasures a piece of that cable as a souvenir 
of the battle they fought that day in order to 
secure it. 

The engagement lasted forty-five minutes, 
the ship lying motionless in the water with her 
broadside to the forts and only a mile and a 
quarter away. She could not move without cut- 
ting her line and letting the cable go, which the 
captain declined to do. During this time sixty- 



45^ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

six shots were fired from the St. Louis's gun 
forward, and 106 shots from the after gun, while 
the little Wampatuck fired seventy-three from her 
3-pounder. The conduct of the officers and crews 
of the St. Louis and the Wampatuck during the 
engagement was worthy of all praise. Segraves 
and his men, working with the lines on the fore- 
castle, bravely stuck to their stations while the 
shells were whistling around them. The men 
of the engineer force not on watch rushed up and 
volunteered their services in passing ammunition. 
The officers and marines at the guns worked with 
a will, and fully exemplified the motto which 
Captain McCalla is said to have given the crew 
of the Marblehead : " The best protection against 
the enemy's fire is the rapidity of fire directed 
against the enemy's guns." 

Line Cut off Mole St. IVicolas. 
After cutting the cables at Santiago de Cuba, 
Captain Goodrich decided to cut the French cable 
that runs from Mole St. Nicolas, Hayti, to Guan- 
tanamo, Cuba, about thirty miles eastward of 
Santiago. On the morning after the encounter 
with the forts of Santiago, the St. Louis and the 
Wampatuck appeared off Guantanamo about 
daylight, and the Wampatuck, with Lieutenant 
Jungen in command, Chief Officer Segraves, En- 
sign Payne, Lieutenant Catlin, eight marines and 
four seamen from the St. Louis on board, steamed 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 457 

into the mouth of the harbor, dropped a grapnel 
in eight fathoms of water, and proceeded to drag 
across the mouth of the harbor for the cable. 
About one hundred and fifty fathoms of line was 
run out, and soon the cable was hooked in about 
fifty fathoms of water. About this time the look- 
out reported a Spanish gunboat coming down the 
harbor, and a signal was sent to the St. Louis, 
half a mile outside, but she already had dis- 
covered it, and immediately opened fire with the 
two port 6-pounders. The Wampatuck then be- 
gan firing with her one 3-pounder. The gunboat, 
however, was out of range of these small guns, 
and the shells all fell short. The gunboat now- 
opened fire with 4-inch guns, and every shot went 
whistling over the little Wampatuck and struck 
the water between her and the St. Louis. Being 
well out of the range of the 6-pounders, the gun- 
boat was perfectly safe, and she steamed back 
and forth, firing her larger guns. For about 
forty minutes the tug worked on the cable, while 
the shells were striking all around her, but she 
seemed to bear a charmed life. Captain Good- 
rich, seeing that he could not get the gunboat 
within reach of the small guns while that vessel 
could easily reach both the St. Louis and the 
Wampatuck with her heavier battery, signalled 
the tug to withdraw ; the line was cut and both 
vessels steamed out to sea, leaving the cable un- 



458 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 



cut. As the tug started out it was noticed that 
riflemen on shore were firing on her. Lieutenant 
Catlin then opened up with the Gatling gun 
mounted aft, and the Spaniards on shore could 
be seen scattering and running for shelter. The 
French cable was cut next morning off Mole 
St. Nicolas, well outside of the three-mile limit. 
The St. Louis and the Wampatuck steamed away 
in company, leaving the Spaniards looking after 
them in amazement at their audacity. 



CHAPTER XX. 



the voyage of the oregon — no thought of 

war fine work at sea in the straits of 

magellan — good-by to the slow vessels 

end of the great voyage a remarkable 

speed record her size and her armament 

— the Oregon's commander. 




Y NO means the least striking and signifi- 
cant incident of the war was the voyage 
of the Oregon. This great battleship, 
one of the most powerful in the world, had been 
built at San Francisco, and had been kept on the 
Pacific coast station. But the destruction of the 
Maine weakened the North Atlantic Squadron, 
and made it seem desirable that an addition be 
made to it, at least equal to the loss. So it was 
decided to summon the Oregon. 

To get her from the Pacific to the North 
Atlantic Squadron would be no small job. A 
canal across the Central American isthmus would 
have made it easy. She could have come through 
that route in a few days with safety. But unhap- 
pily this nation had failed to construct such a 
canal, and in its absence it was necessary for her 
to make the long voyage around Cape Horn, or at 

459 



460 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

least through the Straits of Magellan. This 
was a trip of 13,000 miles, ranging from tropic 
heat to polar frost. And it was to be made 
not by a cruiser intended for ocean voyaging, 
but by a heavy battleship intended for coast 
defence. We shall see how the arduous task was 
performed. 

No Thought of War. 
The thought of a possible war with Spain had 
little place in the minds of the officers and men 
of the Oregon on March 6, when she left the 
drydock in Puget Sound, where she had been 
undergoing repairs for several weeks. At that 
time the relations between the two countries were 
somewhat strained, but belief was general that 
war would be avoided through diplomatic means. 
The Maine had been destroyed and the Navy 
Department had decided to replace her in the 
North Atlantic Squadron by a vessel which was 
more than her equal. By none was the move 
considered a warlike one, but it was deemed 
desirable that the strength of the squadron should 
not remain depleted. The change from the Pacific 
to the Atlantic was not a pleasant one to the 
officers and crew of the vessel, for long service in 
the West had made them many friends, and the 
voyage through the tempestuous straits and a 
double passage through the tropics was not the 
most desirable prospect in the world. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 46 1 

When word came from Washington to start 
on the voyage the Oregon had just arrived in 
San Francisco from drydock, and she was ab- 
solutely in perfect order in every detail. Two 
days were consumed in taking on coal, and on 
March 14 she left the Mare Island Navy Yard 
on a voyage that was destined to prove a record- 
breaker. Early in the trip fair weather was en- 
countered and on April 4 she reached Callao, 
after having covered 4,000 miles. At Callao a 
rumor was current that the Spanish residents of 
Valparaiso intended to do some mischief in case 
the Oregon put into that port. Captain Clark 
decided not to stop there, but to continue on to, 
Punta Arenas. A full supply of coal was taken 
on at Callao, and from the day the Oregon left 
there, April 7, until her arrival at Key West, the 
ship's crew had not a moment of shore liberty. 
Fine Work at Sea. 

The Oregon had behaved splendidly on the 
run down to Callao. She had met with storm 
after storm, and violent storms, too. She had 
fought a long battle with the elements, but had 
come out victorious without a mark. The steel 
plate was intact, and the guns as firm as on the 
day of her trial trip. Captain Clark was handed 
a sealed packet containing his orders. He was not 
to know his destination until the harbor had disap- 
peared from view. Just as soon as the bunkers 



462 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

could be stored to their full capacity, the ship was 
headed about and steered into the open sea. 
Captain Clark had the story of the Maine's report 
and its reception by the American people to 
communicate to his men, beside the route of their 
excursion around the cape. 

Officers and crew exercised the greatest pre- 
caution when war with Spain promised to become 
the sequel of the Maine disaster. The ship was 
given a coat of iron gray and her searchlight 
swept the horizon for hostile sails. An extra force 
of lookouts was maintained day and night, and 
no boat was permitted to approach the warship. 

The progress of the vessel southward, after 
leaving Callao, was no summer cruise. It seemed 
as if the elements had allied themselves with the 
Spaniards. The heavy vessel rode the waves 
beautifully and surprised even those who had 
expected most of her. She was, it may be 
observed, the first modern American battleship to 
cross the equator or to pass through the Straits 
of Magellan. 

In the Straits of Magellan. 

On April 17 the Oregon entered the Straits 
of Magellan. The weather was cold and the sea 
rough, but the big ironclad rushed through the 
turbulent waters at a rate of thirteen knots an 
hour, and the following day made Punta Arenas, 
where more coal was taken on. The men suffered 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 463 

severely from the sudden change in the tempera- 
ture, but not a single one manifested any disposi- 
tion to shirk, and the officers had no trouble with 
them. After a three days' stop at Punta Arenas, 
the Oregon turned her nose northward. 

All this time the officers and crew were al- 
most entirely ignorant of the trend of events 
except for the small amount of information they 
could glean in the places at which they stopped. 
This was sufficient to show them that the situa- 
tion was a grave one, however, and before the 
Straits were cleared Captain Clark ordered the 
ship to be made ready for action and in other 
ways made preparations to meet any emergency, 
that might arise. The gunboat Marietta was 
picked up at Punta Arenas and both vessels were 
soon covered with the grim paint of war. From 
Punta Arenas to Rio, which was reached on April 
30, the progress of the Oregon was greatly im- 
peded by the Marietta, no less than five full days 
being lost in waiting for her. 

At Rio the first news of the declaration of 
war was brought to the Oregon. The informa- 
tion was instantly communicated to the men, who 
received it with cheers, intermingled with cries of 
"Avenge the Maine." Orders were also received 
for the Oregon to pick up the Brazilian cruiser 
Nictheroy and proceed at all possible speed to 
the United States. 



464 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Good-by to the Slow Vessels. 

On May 3 the Oregon, in company with the 
little Marietta and the Nictheroy, left Rio. With 
two such slow vessels as consorts, the Oregon 
was greatly hampered, and after two days of 
steaming at nine knots, Captain Clark hoisted the 
good-by signal and started off with a rush for 
Bahia, 745 miles distant. On the run to Bahia 
the Oregon made 375 miles in twenty-four hours, 
a record that surpasses any other ever made by a 
battleship of any class. Bahia was reached on 
May 8, and, after a twelve hours' stay, the voyage 
northward was resumed. All the speed that could 
be crowded out of the vessel was made at this 
juncture for two reasons. The first was the 
anxiety of officers and men to reach their jour- 
ney's end in time to engage in the conflict with 
Cervera, and the other to afford relief from the 
excessive heat, which was telling on the men in 
the fireroom. 

Barbadoes, the next point of touch, is 2,578 
miles from Bahia, and this distance was covered 
in nine days, another record-breaking run. Cap- 
tain Clark expected to find Admiral Sampson 
near Barbadoes, but instead he learned that the 
American fleet was at Porto Rico, and that Cervera 
was at the Canary Islands. The former report 
was correct, but the latter was misleading, for at 
that time the Spanish Admiral was either at Cura- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 465 

coa or on his way thither. Captain Clark 
did not permit his ignorance of the position 
of his foes to worry him, however, and on 
the day of his arrival he again set sail, this time 
for his own land. His course was almost a 
semi-circular one, swinging around to the east- 
ward of the Windward Isles and avoiding the 
tortuous channels of the Bahamas until the 
Florida coast was reached. 

Jupiter Light was sighted about 8 o'clock on 
the evening of May 24, and volunteers were called 
for to man a boat and carry dispatches ashore. 
Hud of tlie Great Voyage. 

The dispatches of the Navy Department 
from Captain Clark were characteristic of the 
man. They simply related that he had arrived 
and asked for orders. Immediately there came 
this reply : 

"If you are ready for service, go to Key 
West. If you need repairs go to Norfolk. 

Long." 

Without an hour's delay, the Oregon was 
headed for Key West, which was reached at 6 
o'clock next morning, the trip from Jupiter Light 
being made at an average speed of 13 knots an 
hour. This is the tale of the long, historic and 
remarkable voyage. It needs no embellishment. 
When asked what incidents marked the voyage, 
Captain Clark said : 



466 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

"No trip of its kind and length was more 
uneventful. The ship behaved perfectly. The 
men acted finely, and we had not the slightest 
bit of trouble in any way. Having proved 
the Oregon's seaworthiness, we now want to 
prove her ability in battle, and our cup will be 
full." 

A Remarkable Speed Record. 

All told, the time consumed in the Oregon's 
voyage was sixty-eight days from San Francisco 
to Key West. The average speed throughout 
was between eleven and twelve knots, including 
the time lost in waiting for the Marietta and Nic- 
theroy. For two hours in the trip from Bahia to 
Barbadoes the vessel made fifteen knots an hour, 
her contract speed, and that was after she had 
been out over a month. In all the voyage the 
Oregon never sighted a Spanish war vessel, 
though at several places it was reported that Cer- 
vera's fleet was near at hand. From the Straits 
until she arrived at Key West, her lights were 
"doused" at night, and so cautious was Captain 
Clark that he issued an order that no one should 
smoke a cigar on deck after dark, for fear it 
might give the enemy a line on the vessel's po- 
sition. 

Off Cape St. Roque, the easternmost point of 
Brazil, on the night of May 12, lights of several 
strange vessels were discerned, and many of the 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 467 

Oregon's officers believe that they were those of 
the vessels of Cervera's fleet. In the morning no 
trace of these ships could be seen, nor could any 
word of them be obtained from fishing smacks in 
the vicinity. At Punta Arenas it was reported to 
Captain Clark that the Temerario, the Spanish 
torpedo-boat destroyer, was cruising along the 
Brazilian coast, and he was warned to keep a 
a sharp lookout for it. Every night extra guards 
were mounted, and every precaution was taken 
to repel an attack by the fast little Spanish vessel. 
All this trouble was taken in vain, however, as at 
Rio Janeiro it was learned that the Temerario was 
in drydock. 

The real heroes of the voyage were Chief 
Engineer Robert W. Milligen and the seventy 
men in his division. Despite the intense tropical 
heat, these brave fellows worked like demons, and 
their labors have added lustre to the name of the 
American Navy and a page to naval history. 
During the voyage the terms of enlistment of 
many of the seamen expired, but the majority of 
them re-enlisted on board ship, and most of those 
who failed to do so protested that they intended 
to re-enter the service as soon as they obtained 
a few days' rest. The fact that the Oregon is 
the first United States battleship to cross the 
equator is worthy of note. When the line was 
crossed the officers held high carnival, and went 



468 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

through a mystical ceremony which was greatly 
enjoyed. 

In speaking of his trip Captain Clark said: 
"The Oregon's record-breaking voyage of nearly 
fourteen thousand miles is an important argument 
in favor of the early completion of the Nicaragua 
Canal or some other canal across the Isthmus of 
Panama. I hope that it will have some influence 
with Congress, and I believe it will. With such a 
canal our journey would have been cut in half and 
a first-class battleship would have been added to 
Admiral Sampson's fleet." 

Her Size and Her Armament* 

The Oregon was begun in 1891 at the Union 
Iron Works, San Francisco, at a contract price of 
$3,180,000, and was launched October 23, 1894. 
She is registered as a steel coastline battleship of 
10,288 tons burden, with engines capable of de- 
veloping 9,000 horse-power. Her armament em- 
braces four 13-inch breech-loading rifles in pairs, 
placed in two 15-inch barbette turrets; eight 
8-inch and four 6-inch breech-loading rifles in the 
main battery, and twenty 6-pounder and six 
1 -pounder rapid-fire guns, and four Gatling guns 
in the secondary battery. The ship is encircled 
by a steel belt eighteen inches in thickness, and her 
decks are covered with a layer of three-inch chilled 
steel. Her coal bunkers will hold 1,640 tons, and 
her full complement of officers and men is 473. 



•' '::■■ -' :■ - .■ .' ' •"• 



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^•■.- ■.■.:,■..*■■; '-^"; 



- fi^BHH 



Watching the Searchlights at Havana during the Blockade. 





* 



&sp ■ $W 



I 



', ' ■ 






WAR WITH SPAIN. 47 1 

Her builders were justified in expecting great 
things from the Oregon, because of her remark- 
able performance on May 14, 1896, when, after 
months of preparation and many trials, she made 
her official trial run out of the harbor of San 
Francisco. At that time she not only fulfilled the 
promises made by her builders, but exceeded the 
required speed to such an extent that the Union 
Iron Works received a bonus of $175,000. She 
carried 160 pounds of steam, and, although her 
engines were not crowded to their utmost capa- 
city, she made 16.78 knots an hour. The prize 
was $25,000 for every one-fourth knot developed 
over the required speed of fifteen knots an hour. 

The performance of the Oregon was tele- 
graphed all over the world, the builders were 
elated over their success, and the city of Portland 
showed its appreciation by presenting a silver 
service, valued at $20,000 to the ship. 

The Oregon's Commander. 

Captain Charles Edgar Clark, the commander 
of the Oregon, was born in Vermont, and was 
appointed to the Naval Academy, from that state 
in i860. In 1863 he was promoted to ensign and 
assigned to the steam sloop Ossipee, of the West- 
ern Gulf blockading squadron. He was with his 
vessel in the battle of Mobile Bay, and took part 
in the bombardment of Fort Morgan. From 1865 
to 1867 he was with Vanderbilt on the Pacific 

27 



47 2 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Station. He received a lieutenant's commission 
in 1867 and became a lieutenant-commander a 
year later. He was then attached to the Suwanee, 
which was wrecked on July 7. His service on the 
receiving-ship Vandalia at Portsmouth, on the 
Seminole in the North Atlantic, and at the Naval 
Academy, lasted until 1873, when he was assigned 
to the Atlantic Station, where he remained for 
three years with the Hartford, the Monocacy and 
the Kearsarge. The next three years he spent 
at the Charles town Navy Yard. He received his 
commander's commission in 1881, and after duty 
on the training ship New Hampshire, and at the 
torpedo station, went with the steamer Ranger 
on a survey trip up the North Pacific. This cruise 
lasted three years. From 1887 to 1891 he was 
Lighthouse Inspector, and was afterward stationed 
at the Mare Island Navy Yard. He took com- 
mand of the Mohican in September, 1893, and left 
her to take command of the Monterey as captain, 
in 1896. His next and latest command was the 
Oregon. 

From a purely layman's point of view, the 
long journey of the Oregon from San Francisco, 
down the western coast of South America, through 
the Straits of Magellan and up along the Atlantic 
side of the Southern continent, is remarkable 
because of the peculiar condition which has 
existed almost from the day she started. From 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 473 

the point of view of those who go down to sea in 
ships, the voyage is none the less noteworthy 
because of its length, its freedom from accident, 
and the speed which the good ship maintained 
throughout. From the point of view of the patriot, 
it is a most satisfactory evidence that American 
brains can build a ship that can stand such a trip, 
and that American sailors can pilot such a ship 
through the perilous sea that beats on the South 
American coast, especially when a murderous foe 
is hovering near to destroy her. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



THE SPANISH CAPE VERD FLEET — SEEKING THE 

SPANIARDS — NEWS AT LAST SANTIAGO DE CUBA 

THE FIRST ATTACK A PEEP INTO THE HARBOR 

FIRING BIG GUNS RESULTS OF THE SHOOTING 

"SEALING THE CORK*' THE SEARCH FOR THE 

SURVIVORS WAITING FOR HOBSON's RETURN — - 

WHAT HOBSON DID. 




EFORE WAR was actually declared a 
small but powerful Spanish fleet was 
sent from Cadiz to the Cape Verd Is- 
lands, presumably thence to make a quick dash 
across the Atlantic. This fleet was under the 
command of Admiral Cervera, one of the ablest 
officers in the Spanish navy. It consisted of four 
swift and heavily armed and armored cruisers, or 
second-class battleships, and three torpedo-boat 
destroyers. The former were the Cristobal 
Colon, the Vizcaya, the Almirante Oquendo, and 
the Maria Teresa ; the latter, the Furor, Terror, 
and Pluton. The fleet remained at the Cape 
Verd Islands for some time, even after war was 
openly declared. At last, however, Portugal 

474 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 475 

made a proclamation of neutrality, and then the 
ships had to leave. 

Whither they went was for a long time in 
doubt. Conflicting reports abounded. Several 
times it was officially and positively stated that 
they had returned to Cadiz, again that they had 
gone to the Philippines, again that they were off 
the New England coast, again that they had gone 
down the Brazilian coast to intercept the Oregon. 
Seeking- the Spaniards. 

Admiral Sampson's fleet set out from Key 
West on May 3, to cruise about the West Indies 
in search of the Spanish fleet. It was composed 
of the battleships Iowa and Indiana, the cruisers 
New York (flagship), Montgomery and Detroit, 
the monitors Amphitrite and Terror, the torpedo- 
boat Porter, the collier Niagara and the tug Wam- 
patuck. 

Leaving Key West on May 3, the fleet sailed 
in the direction of Havana, then turned eastward, 
keeping in sight of the lofty coast of Cuba. At 
night the beacons on the Cuban hills were lighted 
as usual, but they gave guidance to few vessels 
besides the enemies of Spain. The fleet carried 
no lights, but there was much signal practice with 
colored lamps. 

At daylight on May 1 2 the fleet bombarded 
San Juan, the seaport and metropolis of Porto 
Rico. 



47^ WAR WITH SPAIN. 

News at Last. 

Then came the long awaited news. The 
Spanish fleet was authoritatively announced to 
have reached Martinique, a French island in the 
West Indies, some distance south of Porto Rico. 
The Spanish Admiral had intended to touch at 
Martinique, and then proceed to Porto Rico. 
But finding that Admiral Sampson's fleet had 
already bombarded the capital of the latter island, 
he was compelled to change his plans. The neu- 
trality laws compelled him to leave Martinique in 
twenty-four hours. He did so, leaving behind 
the torpedo-boat destroyer Terror, which had be- 
come disabled. Then he went southwest, to 
Curacoa, a Dutch island near the coast of Ven- 
ezuela, where he got a few tons of coal and other 
supplies. Then again he was lost to sight, and 
there was much speculation as to his whereabouts. 
Admiral Sampson's fleet searched for him and 
guarded the passage at one end of Cuba, while 
Commodore Schley with his fleet hastened down 
from Hampton Roads and joined in the hunt. 

On May 15, the Spanish fleet disappeared 
from Curacoa. There were rumors that it had 
gone to Port Limon, to Havana, and back to 
Spain. All was uncertainty for five days, and 
then it was learned that it had got into the harbor 
of Santiago de Cuba, near the southeastern end 
of that island. Over that news Spain was exul- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 477 

tant, declaring Cervera had outwitted the Ameri- 
can commanders, and the Madrid government 
cabled him a message of thanks and congratula- 
tion. On the other hand it was thought in this 
country that Cervera had made it more fatal for 
himself, for he had got into a trap from which he 
could not escape. The latter view was soon 
shown to be correct. Commodore Schley has- 
tened to Santiago with his powerful fleet, and 
blockaded the narrow entrance to the harbor, 
making it impossible for the Spaniards to get out 
without fighting a vastly superior force. As was 
said on all hands, Cervera was bottled up, and 
Schley had put the cork in the bottle. 
Santiago de Cuba. 
Santiago de Cuba, the second city in size on 
the island, is probably the oldest city of any size 
on this hemisphere, having been founded by 
Velasquez in 15 14. It fronts on a beautiful bay, 
six miles long and two miles wide, on the south- 
eastern coast of Cuba, one hundred miles west of 
Cape Maysi. The population in 1895 was 59,614. 
The mean temperature in summer is 88 degrees; 
in winter, 82 degrees. It is regarded as very 
unhealthy, yellow fever being prevalent through- 
out the year and smallpox epidemic at certain 
times. These conditions are due to the lack of 
sanitary and hygienic measures; all refuse matter, 
as well as dead dogs, cats, chickens, etc., being 



47 8 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

thrown into the streets to decay and fill the air 
with disease germs. 

Santiago is the capital of the province and 
oriental region. There are a number of tobacco 
factories, but the chief business is the exportation 
of raw materials and the importation of manu- 
factured goods and provisions. Sugar, iron ore, 
manganese, mahogany, hides, wax, cedar and 
tobacco are exported to the United States. 

The entrance to Santiago harbor is only about 
200 feet wide, so that vessels must go in and out 
in single file. The Spaniards had forts and bat- 
teries on each side, and torpedoes in the channel, 
so that it would be a perilous thing for our fleet 
to try to force an entrance. 

The First Attack. 

Commodore Schley, however, determined to 
do some fighting. On May 31 he raised his flag 
on the battleship Massachusetts, and gave the 
signal for action. 

The work of ascertaining the position of the 
Spanish warships was delegated to the protected 
cruiser Marblehead because of her comparatively 
light draught and good speed. 

Commander McCalla was ordered to enter 
the mouth of the harbor as far as possible, in 
order to get a view of the lower part of the bay. 
The cruiser started at full speed, and, passing 
over the shallows of Morillo Point on the east, 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 479 

right under the guns of Morro, was opposite the 
harbor entrance before the Spaniards had appar- 
ently noticed her presence. 

A Peep Into the Harbor. 

The Marblehead slackened speed as soon 
as she had passed Morro on the east, and 
her officers were able to get an unobstructed view 
of the bay as far as Punta Gorda, which is some 
distance above the fort of La Socapa on the west 
side of the narrow mouth of the bay. Lying at 
anchor in the bay above La Socapa the Marble- 
head's officers saw the Spanish fleet, whose where- 
abouts had ever since the war began given so 
much anxiety to the authorities at Washington 
and kept the whole American navy on an eager 
lookout. 

In the channel between Smith Cay and Chur- 
ruca Point were sighted the four armored cruisers, 
Cristobal Colon, Almirante Oquendo, Vizcaya and 
Maria Teresa, with the torpedo-boat destroyers 
Pinton and Furor. 

With them was the old cruiser Reina Mer- 
cedes, a vessel fairly well armed, but because of 
her unseaworthiness practically worthless for 
fighting purposes. 

Commander McCalla having accomplished 
his purpose turned the Marblehead's prow again 
towards the Brooklyn and reported his discovery 
to Commodore Schley. He was overjoyed to 



480 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

learn that beyond all question Cervera's warships 
were confined in a position where their speed 
capabilities would be of little avail. 

This much being known, Commodore Schley 
was still in doubt regarding the strength of the 
fortifications of old Morro and La Sacopa and 
the masked batteries which were known to be 
hidden in the woods that skirt the shore of the 
bay below the forts. 

Schley's attack was planned solely for the pur- 
pose of locating the masked batteries and deter- 
mining the strength of Cervera's protecting forts. 

The Commodore transferred his flag from the 
Brooklyn to the Massachusetts at 12 o'clock noon, 
and from the battleship signalled to the Iowa and 
the New Orleans to take part in the attack, with 
the converted yacht Vixen as a despatch boat. 

The other vessels of the fleet, including the 
battleship Texas, were left in the offing coaling 
and attending to ordinary routine work. 

As the attacking vessels steamed rapidly 
toward Morro the Cristobal Colon was seen to be 
the nearest vessel of the Spanish fleet. 

She was lying with her port broadside toward 
the American warships. Behind her were the other 
Spanish vessels and the battery on Churruca Point. 

The Massachusetts led in the attack, with the 
New Orleans following, and the Iowa behind the 
former Brazilian cruiser. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 48 1 

Firing: Big Guns. 

The flagship opened fire at once on the Cris- 
tobal Colon, which lay in a tempting position in 
the harbor mouth. The Massachusetts fired her 
8-inch port gun for the first shot, but soon brought 
her 13-inch rifles into play. 

The Spaniards replied with 10 and 12-inch 
Krupp guns from the batteries, while the Cristobal 
Colon used her 10 and 6-inch guns entirely. 

The firing on both sides was inaccurate at 
first, but the gunners on the American warships 
soon found the range of Cervera's flagship and 
Morro fort, whose walls rapidly crumbled under 
the terrific fire of the attacking vessels. 

Commodore Schley's vessels fired fifty shots 
in the course of the fight, while the Spaniards 
wasted 100 shots. 

Results of the Shooting:. 

No one was injured on the American vessels, 
and the Spanish loss is unknown, but it is 
believed to have been very heavy, particularly in 
Morro. 

When Commodore Schley gave the signal to 
stop the attack three of the Spanish batteries over 
on the west side of the harbor and two on the 
east side were silenced and the fortifications de- 
molished. • The Spaniards kept up a weak and 
scattering fire for twenty minutes after Commo- 
dore Schley's ship stopped firing and long 



482 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

after the vessels were beyond the reach of their 
guns. 

In the thirty-three minutes that the actual 
engagement lasted the three American warships 
passed twice before the entrance of the harbor 
within easy range of the Spanish guns of Morro 
Castle, four masked batteries and the Cristobal 
Colon, yet not a single Spanish shell struck any 
one of Commodore Schley's vessels. 

Three projectiles struck the water near the 
New Orleans, one other shell exploded within 
fifty feet of the bow of the Massachusetts, and 
several other shots passed over the Iowa close 
enough to lead the gunners on the American 
vessels to believe that other than Spanish artillery- 
men manned the modern rifles in the Santiago 
batteries. 

Save for these few shots the marksmanship 
of the Spaniards was little better than has been 
shown in the other engagements of the war, and 
its character was tersely described by Fighting 
Bob Evans, who, as he stood beaming on the 
bridge of the Iowa after the firing had ceased, 
shouted: 

"The Spaniards didn't hit a thing but the 
water, and that wasn't a great difficulty." 
" Sealing: tlie Cork:." 

Finally, in the early morning of June 3, the 
harbor was closed against entrance or exit. This 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 483 

was done in one of the bravest bits of work ever re- 
corded in naval history. Lieutenant Richmond P. 
Hobson, with seven men, volunteered to take an 
old coal steamer, the Merrimac, into the narrow- 
est part of the channel and sink her, effectively 
blocking the way. Hundreds of men and officers 
wanted to join in the perilous enterprise, but 
these eight were enough. All day the prepara- 
tions proceeded, and by nightfall the craft was in 
readiness. A row of torpedoes had been ar- 
ranged outside the hull, so that Lieutenant Hob- 
son could explode them from the bridge of the 
vessel and thus insure her rapid sinking. At 
nightfall the various ships of the fleet passed the 
doomed Merrimac, cheering her lustily. By 10 
o'clock all but the men who were going on the 
dangerous errand had been taken from the Mer- 
rimac, and the collier took a position near the New 
York to await the appointed hour. It was an im- 
pressive night among the men of the fleet, for few 
expected that the members of the little crew would 
see another sunrise. The night was cloudy, with 
fitful lightning flashing behind the dark lines of the 
shore, now and then showing the battlements. 

Soon after 3 o'clock the Merrimac began to 
drift slowly toward the land, and in half an hour 
was lost to sight. It was Lieutenant Hobson's 
plan to steam past Morro, swing crosswise the 
channel, drop his anchors, open the valves, ex- 



484 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

plode the torpedoes on the port side, leap over- 
board, preceded by his crew, and make their 
escape in a little lifeboat which was towed astern, 
if possible, and if not to attempt to swim ashore. 
All the men were heavily armed, ready to make a 
fierce resistance to capture. 

Scarcely had the ship disappeared when a 
flash from Morro's guns proclaimed that she had 
been discovered. Immediately the other batteries 
around the harbor opened fire, but the ship went 
steadily on. A heavy cannon and musketry fire 
continued for about a half-hour, and guns were 
fired at intervals until long after daylight. None 
of the American ships dared to fire for fear of 
striking the Merrimac's crew. 

Tlie Search for tlie Survivors. 

Cadet Powell, who had charge of a launch 
which was to have picked up or assisted Lieuten- 
ant Hobson and his crew, after the Merrimac had 
been sunk, told this story of his experience: 

" Lieutenant Hobson took a short sleep after 
midnight. At 2 o'clock he came on deck and 
made a final inspection, giving his last instruc- 
tions. Then we had a little luncheon. Hobson 
was as cool as a cucumber. About 2.30 o'clock 
I took the men who were not going on the trip into 
the launch, and started for the Texas, the nearest 
ship, but had to go back for one of the assistant engi- 
neers, whom Hobson finally compelled to leave. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 485 

"I shook hands with Hobson the last of all. 
He said: 'Powell, watch the boat's crew when 
we pull out of the harbor. We will be cracks, 
rowing thirty strokes to the minute.' 

"After leaving the Texas I saw the Merrimac 
steaming slowly in. It was only fairly dark then 
and the shore was quite visible. We followed 
about three-quarters of a mile astern. The Mer- 
rimac stood about a mile westward of the harbor 
and seemed a bit mixed, turning completely 
around. Finally, heading to the east, she ran 
down and then turned in. 

"We were then chasing him because I 
thought Hobson had lost his bearings. When 
Hobson was about three hundred yards from the 
harbor the first gun was fired, from the eastern 
bluff. We were then half a mile off shore, close 
under the batteries. The firing increased rapidly. 
We steamed in slowly and lost sight of the Merri- 
mac in the smoke which the wind carried off 
ashore. It hung heavily. 

"Before Hobson could have blown up the 
Merrimac the western battery picked us up and 
began firing. They shot wild, and we heard only 
the shots. We ran in still closer to the shore, 
and the gunners lost sight of us. 

"Then we heard the explosion of the tor- 
pedoes on the Merrimac. 



486 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Wating for Hobson's Return. 

"Until daylight we waited just outside the 
breakers, half a mile westward of Morro, keep- 
ing a bright lookout for the boat or for swimmers, 
but saw nothing. Hobson had arranged to meet 
us at that point, but thinking that some one might 
have drifted out, we crossed in front of Morro 
and the mouth of the harbor to the eastward. 

4 'About 5 o'clock we crossed the harbor 
again within a quarter of a mile, and stood to the 
westward. In passing we saw one spar of the 
Merrimac sticking out of the water. We hugged 
the shore just outside of the breakers for a mile, 
and then turned toward the Texas, when the bat- 
teries saw us and opened fire. 

"It was then broad daylight. The first shot 
fired dropped thirty yards astern, but the other 
shots went wild. 

"I drove the launch for all she was worth, 
finally making the New York. The men be- 
haved splendidly." 

What Hobson Did. 

What was done by Hobson and his men is 
briefly to be told. There was none of the dash 
and excitement of battle in the job, no blazing 
and thundering of big guns and darting of tor- 
pedoes. At least there was none on Hobson's 
side. He and his men and their defenceless ship 
sailed slowly into the awful trap without a stroke 




Action on a. Monitor. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 489 

in their own defence. A literal hail of shot and 
shell swept down upon them. The chances were 
they would be riddled, or blown to atoms. But 
calmly and steadily the ship was moved forward 
until the narrowest part of the channel was 
reached. Then anchor was cast out at the bow. 
In instant peril of death they waited patiently, as 
inch by inch the tide swung the great hulk 
around. At last she lay right across the channel, 
her length reaching almost from shore to shore. 
Then they dropped another anchor at the stern, 
to hold her fast in that position. Then as Gren- 
ville said after his immortal fight, the word was 
given, " Sink me the ship, Master Gunner ! Sink 
her! Split her in twain!" And by the hands of 
her own crew, the ship was sunk, effectually bar- 
ring the harbor against exit or entrance. The 
work was done. Then, seeing there was no 
escape in their open skiff through the storm of 
shot and shell that fell about them, Hobson and 
his seven men calmly rowed straight to the nearest 
Spanish ship, whose guns were belching out death 
against them, and gave themselves up as prisoners 
of war. The Spaniards appreciated their valor, 
cheered them to the echo, received them more as 
honored guests than prisoners, and at once sent 
an envoy to the American fleet to negotiate for 
their release in return for the release of Spaniards 
held as prisoners in the United States. 
28 



CHAPTER XXII. 



THE SEVENTH REGIMENT TWO BIG CAMPS THE 

SECOND CALL GENERAL SHAFTER FOR THE 

PHILIPPINES PREPARING TO INVADE CUBA 

THE TRIP TO CUBA OPERATIONS AT GUANTA- 

NAMO RAIDING A SPANISH CAMP SPANIARDS 

RUSH FOR THE BUSHES THE DOLPHIN THROWS 

SHELLS. 




NE of the first things to be done after 
war was declared was to raise an army. 
Evidently it was not going- to be alto- 
gether a war at sea. Troops would be needed 
for the invasion of Cuba and Porto Rico, and also 
for occupying the distant Philippines. For such 
purposes the standing army of less than 30,000 
men was absurdly inadequate. Volunteers must 
be called for. Some debate ensued in Congress 
as to the number the President was to be em- 
powered to ask for, but at last the matter was 
left to a large extent to his discretion. 

On Saturday, April 23, the President issued 
a call for 125,000 men. Requisitions were made 
upon the various state governments to furnish 
each of them its quota, according to its size. 
Many of the militia regiments were ordered by 

490 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 49 1 

the state governors to hold themselves in readi- 
ness for service, and recruiting offices were opened 
here and there, to secure new men. Many men 
of means and prominence interested themselves 
in the movement in one way or another. Theodore 
Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, re- 
signed his office in order to raise and lead a 
regiment of ' 'Rough Riders" recruited partly 
from cow-boys of the West and partly from 
athletic young men of fashionable society. These 
fighters were variously called "Roosevelt's Rough 
Riders," "Roosevelt's Rustlers," and "Teddy's 
Terrors." John Jacob As tor organized and 
equipped a fine battery, which was sent to Manila. 
Xne Seventh Regiment. 
There was a general uprising of enthusiastic 
response to the President's call. But there were 
some hitches and misunderstanding. The New 
York Seventh Regiment, one of the finest and 
most famous militia organizations in the country, 
was quick to volunteer. In accord with its splen- 
did history, the regiment was filled with patriotism. 
But when it was found that the regiment would 
be broken up and lose its identity, the men natur- 
ally demurred and voted not to surrender their 
regimental organization. So they were left be- 
hind. The Thirteenth Regiment of Brooklyn, 
through a stupid blunder, was placed in a still 
more unfortunate position, and for not yielding to 



492 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

what it deemed an unjust order, was disbanded 
by the Governor. 

These were, however, exceptional incidents. 
On the whole the work of raising an army went on 
smoothly and rapidly. Camps of instruction and 
drill were established at convenient points all over 
the land, and thither the troops were sent to 
become disciplined and accustomed to the hard- 
ships of army life. 

Two Big: Camps. 

Besides the state camps which the various 
states established, there were national camps, 
the chief of which were at Chickamauga, Georgia, 
and Tampa, Florida. The former was at the site 
of the famous battle fought there in our civil war 
and was chosen because of its available situation. 
The latter was selected because it was at a con- 
venient place for shipment of the troops to Cuba. 
Troops began to arrive at Chickamauga on May 
15, the first of the volunteers being the First Ohio 
Cavalry. Within a week 25,000 men were 
massed there, and later the number was swelled 
to 65,000, the largest army in the United States 
since the civil war. From Chickamauga the 
troops were forwarded to Tampa, there to await 
the time when they would be sent to Cuba. 
The Second Call. 

The first call for troops was soon filled and 
125,000 men were under arms. But it was then 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 493 

realized that a still larger force would be needed, 
and so, on May 25, the President issued a second 
call, for 75,000 more, making 200,000 in all. 
This call was answered with equal promptness 
and the entire roster was made up. 

There was considerable delay in equipping 
the troops. Clothing had to be manufactured in 
vast quantities. Even the regular army, which 
had been well equipped, had to have all its clothes 
new, for a tropical land was to be invaded, and 
thinner and lighter clothes were more necessary 
than the men had been used to here. 
General Shatter. 

The General commanding the whole army was 
General Nelson A. Miles. To command the expe- 
dition to Cuba General William R. Shafter was 
selected. He was a veteran of the civil war, having 
first entered the military service on the 21st of 
August, 1861, when he was mustered into the volun- 
teers as First Lieutenant of the Seventh Michigan 
Infantry, being honorably mustered out just a year 
later. He at once re-entered the service as Major 
of the Nineteenth Michigan, becoming Lieutenant- 
Colonel in 1863, and Colonel of the Seventeenth 
United States Colored Infantry April 1 9, 1864. He 
was commissioned a Brevet Brigadier-General of 
Volunteers on March 13, 1865, for gallant and meri- 
torious services during the war, and was also 
brevetted Colonel in the regular army March 2, 



494 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

1867, for gallantry at the battle of Fair Oaks, 
Virginia. 

In July, 1866, while still in the volunteer 
service, Gen. Shafter was appointed Lieutenant- 
Colonel of the Forty-first Regular Infantry, from 
which he was transferred to the Twenty-fourth 
Infantry in 1869 on the reduction of the army to 
a peace footing. He became Colonel of the First 
Infantry March 4, 1879, which position he held 
until he was made Brigadier-General, May 26, 
1897. During this long period as a regimental 
commander, Gen. Shafter won a high reputation, 
his regiment having an enviable name throughout 
the entire army for its efficiency, drill, and discip- 
line, it having been often said that it was "the best 
regiment in the army." An officer who returned 
from Germany in 1892, after a year spent in ob- 
servation of the army of that country, said that 
Shafter s First Infantry was the only American 
regiment which reached the German standard. 
For tlie Philippines. 

The first great victory of the war was Admiral 
Dewey's at Manila, and it made evident the ne- 
cessity of sending an army thither to take posses- 
sion of the Philippine Islands and set up a govern- 
ment over them. For this task General Wesley 
Merritt was selected as leader. He was one of 
the most distinguished surviving veterans of the 
civil war, and was second in command in the whole 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 495 

army only to General Miles. It was arranged to 
send him out to Manila with practically supreme 
authority, to be a Military Governor, or practically 
a Dictator. He was to have twenty thousand 
troops, and every effort was made to get these 
together and send them at the earliest possible 
moment. A lot of passenger steamers were secured 
for troopships, and supplies of clothing, food, and 
munitions of war were collected on a gigantic scale. 
First the U. S. warship Charleston was sent 
off with ammunition for Dewey, on May 22, sail- 
ing, of course, from San Francisco. On May 25 
the three steamers City of Peking, City of Sydney, 
and Australia, sailed from that port with the first 
detachment of the army, consisting of 2,500 men. 
This expedition reached Honolulu on June 1, and 
sailed thence for Manila on June 4. The Ha- 
waiian Government decided not to observe neu- 
trality in the war, but to act as an ally of the 
United States, although Spain vigorously pro- 
tested and threatened to hold it responsible for the 
consequences. So our troops were welcomed 
there in fine style and entertained most hospit- 
ably. On June 6 the warship Mohican left San 
Francisco for Manila, and five days later the for- 
midable monitor Monterey followed. The second 
military expedition set out on June 15, consisting 
of 3,500 troops, in four steamships. The monitor 
Monadnock went on June 23d, and at the end of 



496 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the month a third military party of some thou- 
sands went out, General Merritt himself going 
with it. 

Preparing to Invade Cuba. 

Early in June preparations were hastened 
for the invasion of Cuba, and thousands of soldiers 
were put aboard ship at Tampa and taken around 
to Key West, whence the final start was to be 
made. On June 13, despite the superstition at- 
taching to that number, the great expedition set 
forth. It comprised 14,564 enlisted men, and 773 
officers, as follows : 

Infantry regiments — Sixth, 16th, 71st New- 
York Volunteers; 10th, 21st, 2d, 13th, 9th, 24th, 
8th, 22d, 2d Massachusetts Volunteers : 1st, 25th, 
12th, 7th, 17th, 3d, 20th; total infantry, 561 offi- 
cers and 10,709 enlisted men. 

Cavalry — Two dismounted squadrons of 
four troops each from the 3d, 6th, 9th, 1st and 
10th Cavalry, and two dismounted squadrons 
of four troops each from the 1st United States 
Volunteer Cavalry. Total dismounted cavalry, 159 
officers and 2,875 enlisted men. Mounted cav- 
alry — One squadron of the 2d; 9 officers and 280 
enlisted men. 

Artillery — Light Batteries E and K, 1st Ar- 
tillery: A and F, 2d Artillery : 14 officers and 323 
enlisted men. Batteries G and H, 4th Artillery 
siege, 4 officers and 132 enlisted men. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 497 

Engineers — Companies C and E, 9 officers, 
200 enlisted men. 

Signal Corps — One detachment, 2 officers 
and 45 enlisted men. 

The Trip to Cuba. 

This great fleet of troopships and its power- 
ful naval escort, headed by the battleship Indiana, 
presented the most imposing spectacle of the kind 
ever seen in American waters. From Key West 
the procession moved to Rebecca Shoal, near 
Dry Tortugas, and then steered for the eastern 
end of Cuba, the objective point being the harbor 
of Santiago, where the Spanish fleet was held 
prisoner by the American ships of war. The 
voyage was made carefully and without mishap, 
and at noon of June 20 the whole fleet was off 
the harbor of Santiago. 

A conference was at once held by General 
Shafter, Admiral Sampson, and the Cuban Gen- 
eral Garcia, to consider the best place for landing. 
It was decided to make a naval demonstration 
at the entrance to the harbor and a little west of 
it, to attract the attention of the Spanish troops 
thither and then to hurry the troops ashore 
at Baiquiri, some miles to the eastward. This 
was done with eminent success. Landing was 
begun on the morning of June 22, and by the 
afternoon of the next day all were ashore without 
mishap. The Cuban insurgents aided materially 



49& WAR WITH SPAIN. 

in the work, and at once joined forces wiih the 
American army, for a joint forward movement 
against the Spaniards and the city of Santiago. 
Operations at Guantanamo. 

In the mean time while the army of invasion 
was being prepared and conveyed to Cuba, a 
preliminary invasion was made by the navy, by 
landing a force of marines near Guantanamo, 
about forty miles east of Santiago. A part of the 
American fleet arrived at the entrance to the Bay 
of Guantanamo on June 7 and bombarded the 
fortifications and the suburban village of Cai- 
manera. Three days later a force of eight hun- 
dred marines landed on Fisherman's Point, raised 
the Stars and Stripes for the first time on Cuban 
soil, and established a camp which they called 
Camp McCalla. The landing was made from 
the troopship Panther, protected by the fire of 
the battleship Oregon and the gunboats Marble- 
head, Vixen, and Dolphin. 

The next day a fierce attack was made upon 
the camp by Spaniards, firing from the cover of the 
dense woods, and it was maintained without 
cessation for thirteen hours. Four Americans 
were killed, the first to lose their lives on Cuban 
soil. They were John Blair Gibbs, a surgeon ; 
Charles H. Smith, a sergeant ; and William 
Dunphy and James McColgan, privates. The 
Spanish loss was not ascertained, but was much 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 499 

heavier. The next night the attack was renewed, 
and two more Americans were killed, Henry 
Goode and George Tauman. More than twenty 
Spaniards were killed. The attack was a pic- 
turesque and striking spectacle. The crack of the 
Spanish rifles, sending tongues of fire from every 
bush encircling the camp, and the twitter of the long 
steel bullets overhead, could be heard, while the 
machine guns down on the water were ripping 
open the thickets, and the field guns were driving 
in shot where the fire of the Spaniards was the 
thickest. 

Then there was the screech of the Marble- 
head's shells as she took a hand in the fight, and 
the sharp, quick flashing of the Colt rapid-firing 
i -pounder guns from the effectively-placed ship 
launches. 

The Dolphin found the Spanish water-station 
on the ocean side of the harbor entrance, which 
supplied the water for the attacking force. The 
well was situated in a blockhouse windmill, having 
a small garrison. It was shelled at two thousand 
yards. The station was wrecked and canister 
followed the retreating Spaniards up the steep 
hills. 

Raiding: a Spanish Camp. 

A few days later the Americans decided that 
attack was the best defence, so they set out to 
take the aggressive and to destroy the camp of 



500 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

the Spaniards. A small party of marines, with 
some Cuban allies, marched five miles across the 
hills under a scorching tropical sun. At two 
hundred yards' distance from the Spanish camp 
the fight began. 

Very few Spaniards were in sight. They 
were lying behind the huts and in the brush, but 
puffs of smoke revealed their positions and enabled 
the Americans to do effective work. 

For twenty minutes both sides maintained a 
terrific fire. The Spanish shots were generally 
wild and spasmodic, while the Americans coolly 
fired away, aiming carefully and shooting to kill. 
For the most part our firing was done individually, 
but at times the officers could direct firing by 
squads, always with telling effect. 

Spaniards Rush for the Bushes* 

It was beginning to look as though a bayonet 
charge down the slope would be necessary to 
dislodge the enemy, when suddenly the latter 
began to break for a thicket a hundred yards 
further on. Little groups could be seen fleeing 
from the camp, separating, darting through the 
brush and zigzagging to escape the bullets. 

It was then the American fire became most 
deadly. Man after man could be seen to fall in 
a vain rush for shelter, and the fire from the 
Spanish became scattering and almost ceased. 

Two Cubans lay dead and four wounded ; 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 501 

and Private Walker, of Company D, had to limp 
to the rear with a slight wound in his ankle. 

The easy victory put the command in high 
spirits. The little Cuban warriors waved their 
machetes and howled curses at the Spanish in 
savage fashion. Their firing had been wild 
throughout; but they all displayed the utmost 
contempt for the Spanish bullets, apparently being 
absolutely without fear. 

Xhe Dolphin Throws Shells. 

As the enemy began breaking from the camp, 
the Dolphin, which lay out at sea, was signalled 
and began pitching shells toward the thicket for 
which the Spaniards were making. Meanwhile 
Lieutenant Magill was seen coming with forty 
men as reinforcements, and Captain Mahoney was 
on the way with a hundred more. But before 
either could reach the scene the trouble was all 
over. 

As the Spanish retreated the Americans 
moved slowly forward, firing as they went ; and 
by the time camp was reached the enemy had all 
got away, taking their wounded, and probably 
many of their dead. 

Fifteen bodies were found scattered through 
the brush ; but the Americans were unable to 
examine the spot where their firing had been 
most deadly. No time was lost in burning the 
buildings and filling the well with earth and stones. 



502 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The Dolphin landed water and ammunition, 
as an attack was expected on the return march, 
but none was made. Evidently the Spaniards 
were too thoroughly beaten to attempt further 
fighting. The marines did not reach the Ameri- 
can camp until after nightfall ; and, as they had 
been without food since the early morning, they 
were thoroughly exhausted. But there were no 
more Spanish attacks upon Camp McCalla. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



battle of la quasina captain capron s heroic 

death the general advance work of the 

fleet — Spain's banner falls — cervera's 

startling move cervera's ship opens the 

fight the texas in the thick of it end 

of the destroyers "don't cheer j the poor 

devils are dying" greatest chase of mod- 
ern times down came the colon's flag 

it was schley's victory not likely that 

the colon can be saved admiral cervera 

WOUNDED. 




ENERAL SHAFTER'S army, after land- 
ing at Baiquiri, moved swiftly forward 
against the city of Santiago, which was 
strongly garrisoned and soon re-enforced by 
General Pando. The Spanish garrison was fully 
as large as the combined forces of the Americans 
and their Cuban allies, and had the enormous 
advantage of fighting on the defensive from 
behind fortifications. It had, moreover, the pow- 
erful aid of Admiral Cervera's fleet, which lay in 
the harbor close to the city, while the American 
fleet, outside, was out of range. 

503 



504 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Battle of La Quasina. 

The first serious fighting occurred at La 
Quasina on Friday, June 24th, and the brunt of 
it was borne, with heavy loss, by the "Rough 
Riders" led by Colonel Wood and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Roosevelt. The expedition started from 
Juragua, which is marked on some Cuban maps 
as Altares. The Cubans had brought informa- 
tion to the American army headquarters, on 
Thursday, that a Spanish force had assembled at 
La Quasina for the purpose of blocking the 
march to Santiago. The troops left Juragua at 
daybreak. The first part of the journey for the 
rough riders was over a series of steep hills, 
several hundred feet high. The men carried 200 
rounds of ammunition and their heavy camping 
equipment. Although the march was accom- 
plished easily enough in the early morning, the 
weather became intensely hot, and the sun beat 
fiercely upon the cowboys and Eastern athletes 
as they toiled up the hillsides with their heavy 
packs. Frequent rests were necessary, and the 
trail was so narrow for the greater part of the 
way that the men had to proceed in single file. 

Prickly cactus lined both sides of the path, 
and the underbrush was so thick that it was im- 
possible to see ten feet on either side. All the 
conditions, therefore, were favorable for a mur- 
derous ambuscade, but the troopers kept a close 




Spanish Troops in San Juan, Porto Rico. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. $0? 

watch, and made as little noise as possible. They 
entered into the spirit of the affair with the 
greatest enthusiasm. It was their first oppor- 
tunity, and every man was eager for the fight. 
The weather grew more and more swelteringly 
hot. One by one men threw away their blankets, 
tent rolls, and their emptied canteens. The first 
intimation they received of the presence of the 
enemy was when they were three or four miles 
back from the coast. Then the low cuckoo-like 
calls used by the Spaniards began to be heard. 
In the bush it was difficult to make out the exact 
points from which these sounds proceeded. The 
men were ordered to speak in , whispers, and 
frequent halts were made. About eight o'clock a 
place was reached where the trail opened out into 
a space covered with high grass. On the right 
side of the trail the ground was thickest, being 
covered with a kind of bramble underbrush. On 
the other side a barbed wire fence also ran along 
the path. The dead body of a Cuban was found 
lying on the roadside. A few seconds later the 
heads of several Spaniards were seen among the 
bushes, but only for a moment. Not till then 
were the men permitted to load their carbines. 
Just as they did so the sound of firing was heard 
a mile or two to the right, apparently from the 
hills beyond the thicket. This was understood to 
be the regulars' reply to the Spaniards, who had 
29 



508 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

opened on them from the thicket. In addition to 
a rapid rifle fire Hotchkiss guns were also heard. 
Hardly two minutes later the Mausers com- 
menced to crack in the thicket, and bullets 
whistled over the heads of the rough riders, 
cutting the leaves of the trees and sending chips 
flying from the fence-posts by the side of the 
track. 

The Spaniards poured a heavy fire, which 
soon began to tell with disastrous effects. The 
troopers stood their ground well, while the bullets 
continued whizzing around them on every side. 
Sergeant Fish was the first to fall. He was shot 
through the heart. The Spaniards were not more 
than two hundred yards away, but only occasional 
glimpses of them could be obtained. The 
troopers poured volley after volley into the brush 
in the direction indicated by the rattle of Spanish 
musketry, but the enemy's fire became more 
frequent, and seemed to be getting into closer 
range. Colonel Wood walked along the lines 
with the utmost coolness, and ordered the troops 
to deploy into the thicket, at the same time send- 
ing another detachment into the open space on 
the left. Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt led the 
former, urging his men onwards as they forced 
their way through the brush. Every moment 
shots came thicker and faster from the enemy, 
and the air .seemed to be filled with the singing 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 509 

and shrieking sounds of Mauser bullets, while 
the short pops of Spanish rifles could be easily 
distinguished from the heavier reports of the 
American weapons. Sometimes shots came in 
volleys, sometimes following each other in rapid 
succession for several minutes. 

Captain Capron's Heroic Death. 

Captain Capron stood behind his men, using 
his revolver whenever a Spaniard exposed him- 
self. He had killed two, and was just preparing 
to fire again, at the same time shouting orders to 
his troopers, when he was shot through the body. 
His troop was badly disconcerted for an instant, 
but as he fell he cried out, " Don't mind me, 
boys ; go on with the fight." Sergeant Bell 
stood by the side of Captain Capron when the 
latter was mortally hit. He had seen that he was 
fighting against terrible odds, but he never 
flinched. " Give me your gun a minute," he said 
to the sergeant, and, kneeling down, he deliber- 
ately aimed and fired two shots in quick suc- 
cession. At each a Spaniard was seen to fall. 
Bell in the mean time had seized a dead com- 
rade's gun, and knelt beside his captain and fired 
steadily. 

When Captain Capron fell he gave the ser- 
geant parting messages to his wife and father, 
and bade the sergeant good-by in a cheerful voice, 
and was then borne away dying. 



5IO WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Sergeant Hamilton Fish, Jr., was the first man 
killed by the Spanish fire. He was near the head 
of the column as it turned from the wood road 
into the range of the Spanish ambuscade. He 
shot one Spaniard who was firing from the cover 
of a dense patch of underbrush. When a bullet 
struck his breast he sank at the foot of a tree 
with his back against it. Captain Capron stood 
over him shooting, and others rallied around him, 
covering the wounded one. 

After ten or fifteen minutes' hot work the 
firing fell off somewhat, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Roosevelt ordered his men back into the trail, 
narrowly escaping a bullet himself. It now be- 
came evident that the Spanish were falling back 
and changing their position, but their fire con- 
tinued at intervals. The troopers tore to the 
front and got into a more open part of the 
country than where the enemy's fire was coming 
from. As soon as the position had been changed 
the Americans poured a more terrific fire upon 
the Spaniards. They had now got them into 
more open country where they could see them 
better, and it was not long before the enemy 
gave way. They ran down the steep hill and up 
another to a blockhouse. Colonel Wood and 
Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt led their troopers 
onward, and a hail of bullets was poured upon 
the blockhouse. When the Americans got within 




Climbing the Mast to Man the Turret Guns. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 513 

six hundred yards of the blockhouse the Spaniards 
abandoned it. They scattered among the brush 
up another hill in the direction of Santiago, and 
the battle ended. 

Tne General Advance. 

Just a week later, on July i, a general ad- 
vance was made and a tremendous battle was 
fought in the very outskirts of Santiago, fully 
15,000 men being engaged on our side and 
fully as many more on the Spanish side. The 
first shot in it was fired from a battery by Captain 
Capron, father of the Captain Capron who met 
his death so bravely at La Quasina. 

Many dramatic incidents occurred during 
the day, with numerous evidences of splendid 
personal bravery of the American officers and 
men in their work of continuous and intense 
physical strain, owing to the hills and swamps 
and the fierce tropical sun which beat down upon 
them the greater part of the day. 

Skill and Valor of Cubans. 

The Cubans behaved with skill and valor, 
and rendered valuable aid. General Garcia and 
other Cuban generals led the troops in person, 
and showed great coolness in tight places. 

The Spaniards fought stubbornly throughout, 
and their retreat, though steady, was slowly and 
coolly conducted. They contested every inch of 
the way, and fought with unexpected skill, their 



514 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

officers handling the troops with bravery and 
good judgment. As in all of their fighting, so 
far, however, they did most of their work under 
cover, rarely showing themselves in large bodies 
in the open. 

The American loss was nearly a thousand in 
killed and wounded, and the Spanish loss at least 
twice as great. The battle ended with the Ameri- 
cans encamped within a mile of the walls of 
Santiago ; but General Shafter thought it best 
to await the arrival of re-enforcements before 
attacking the city. 

Work of the Fleet. 

Our fleet was too far away to take part in 
the battle proper, but it did some effective firing 
at the fortifications of Aguadores, on the coast. 
The target was an old stone fort, flying the 
Spanish flag. 

When the small shells hit its battlements, 
almost hidden by green creepers, fragments of 
masonry came tumbling down. A shot from the 
Suwanee hit the eastern parapet and it crumbled 
away. Amid the smoke and debris the flagstaff 
was seen to fall forward. 

"The flag has been shot down!" shouted the 
ships' crews, but when the smoke cleared away 
the emblem of Spain was seen to be still flying 
and blazing brilliantly in the sun, though the flag- 
staff was bending toward the earth. Apparently 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 515 

the flagstaff had been caught firmly in the wreck- 
age of the fort. A few more shots levelled the 
battlements until the old castle was a pitiful 
sight. 

When the firing ceased Lieutenant Dele- 
hanty, of the Suwanee, was anxious to finish his 
work, so he signalled to the New York, asking 
permission to knock down the Spanish flag. 

"Yes," replied Admiral Sampson, "if you 
can do it in three shots." 

The Suwanee then lay about sixteen hundred 
yards from the old fort. She took her time. Lieu- 
tenant Blue carefully aimed the 4-inch gun, and 
the crews of all the ships watched the incident 
amid intense excitement. 

When the smoke of the Suwanee's first shot 
cleared away, only two red streamers of the flag 
were left. The shell had gone through the centre 
of the bunting. A delighted yell broke from the 
crew of the Suwanee. 

Two or three minutes later the Suwanee 
fired again, and a huge cloud of debris rose from 
the base of the flagstaff. For a few seconds it 
was impossible to tell what had been the effect of 
the shot. Then it was seen that the shell had 
only added to the ruin of the fort. 

Spain's Banner Falls* 

The flagstaff seemed to have a charmed ex- 
istence, and the Suwanee had only one chance 



5l6 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

left. It seemed hardly possible for her to achieve 
her object with the big gun, such a distance and 
such a tiny target. 

There was breathless silence among the 
watching crews. They crowded on the ships' 
decks, and all eyes were on the tattered rag, 
bending toward the earth from the top of what 
once had been a grand old castle. But it was 
only bending, not yet down. 

Lieutenant-Commander Delehanty and Lieu- 
tenant Blue took their time. 

The Suwanee changed her position slightly. 
Then a puff of smoke shot out from her side, up 
went a spouting cloud of debris from the parapet 
and down fell the banner of Spain. 

Such yells from the flagship will probably 
never be heard again. The Suwanee's last shot 
had struck right at the base of the flagstaff and 
had blown it clear of the wreckage which had 
held it from finishing its fall. 

Cervera's Startling Move. 

It was supposed that operations would now 
be suspended for some days, until General Shaf- 
ter could get re-enforcements. But two days 
later, on July 3d, a startling change in the situation 
occurred. Captain-General Blanco, at Havana, 
peremptorily ordered Admiral Cervera to break 
out of Santiago harbor with his fleet, and the latter 
obeyed, though he knew he was going to certain 




I 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 519 

destruction. The sunken hulk of the Merrimac 
was passed in safety, but just outside the harbor 
gate Commodore Schley was waiting with his 
ships. 

As told by a New York Sun correspondent 
on the Texas, at about half-past nine in the morn- 
ing, while the Texas was lying directly in front of 
Santiago harbor, Lieut. M. L. Bristol saw smoke 
arising between Morro Castle and La Socapa. 
An instant later the nose of a ship poked out 
behind the Estrella Battery. Clash went the 
electric gongs calling the ship's company to gen- 
eral quarters. Full speed ahead plunged the 
Texas toward the enemy and up fluttered the 
vari-colored flags signalling " The enemy is trying 
to escape." 

The Brooklyn, Iowa and Oregon responded 
immediately. All headed toward the harbor en- 
trance, being then about two and a half miles 
away. 

There was much suppressed excitement 
aboard all the vessels as they sped in the direction 
of the enemy. The first of the Spanish squadron 
to come into view was the Almirante Oquendo. 
Closely following her came the Cristobal Colon, 
which was easily distinguishable by the military 
masts between her two smokestacks. Then came 
the two other cruisers, Vizcaya and Infanta Maria 
Teresa. 



520 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

Cervera's Ship Opens the Fight. 

Almost before the leading ship was clear of 
the shadow of Morro Castle the fight had begun. 
Admiral Cervera started it by a shell from the 
Almirante Oquendo, to which he had transferred 
his flag. It struck none of the American vessels. 
In a twinkling the big guns of the Texas belched 
forth their thunder, which was followed immedi- 
ately by a heavy fire from our other ships. The 
Spaniards turned to the westward under full steam, 
pouring a constant fire on our ships, and evidently 
hoping to get away by their superior speed. 

The Brooklyn turned her course parallel with 
that of the Spaniards, and, after getting in good 
range, began a running fight. 

The Texas in the Thick of it. 

The Texas, still heading in shore, kept up a 
hot exchange of shots with the foremost ships, 
which gradually drew away to the westward 
under the shadow of the hills. The third of the 
Spanish vessels, the Vizcaya or Infanta Maria 
Teresa, was caught by the Texas in good fighting 
range, and it was she that engaged the chief at- 
tention of the first battleship commissioned in the 
American Navy — the old hoodoo, but now the 
old hero. The Texas steamed west with her 
adversary, and as she could not catch her with 
speed she did with her shells. Captain John W. 
Philip directed operations from the bridge until 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 52 1 

the fire got so hot that he ordered the ship to be 
run from the conning tower, and the bridge con- 
tingent moved down to the passage surrounding 
the tower. This was a providential move, for a 
moment later a shell from one of the Spanish 
cruisers tore through the pilot house. It would 
have killed the wheelman and perhaps everybody 
on the bridge had they remained there. 

The Oregon and the Iowa to the Front. 

Meanwhile the Oregon had come in on the 
run. She passed the Texas and chased after 
Commodore Schley, on the Brooklyn, to head off 
the foremost of the Spanish ships. The Iowa 
also turned her course westward, and kept up a 
hot fire on the running enemy. 

At 10.10 o'clock the third of the Spanish 
ships, the one that had been exchanging compli- 
ments with the Texas, was seen to be on fire and 
a mighty cheer went up from our ships. The 
Spaniard headed for the shore and the Texas 
turned her attention to the one following. The 
Brooklyn and Oregon, after a few parting shots, 
also left her contemptuously and made all steam 
and shell after the foremost two of the Spanish 
ships, the Almirante Oquendo and the Cristobal 
Colon. 

Just then the two torpedo boat destroyers 
Pluton and Furor were discovered. They had 
come out after the cruisers without being seen, 



52 2 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

and were boldly heading west down the coast. 
"All small guns on the torpedo boats! " was the 
order on the Texas, and in an instant a hail of 
shot was pouring all about them. A six-pounder 
from the starboard battery of the Texas, under 
Ensign Gise, struck the foremost torpedo boat 
fairly in the boiler. 

End of the Destroyers. 

A rending sound was heard above the roar of 
battle. A great spout of black smoke shot up 
from that destroyer and she was out of commis- 
sion. The Iowa, which was coming up fast, 
threw a few complimentary shots at the second 
torpedo boat destroyer and passed on. The little 
Gloucester, formerly J. Pierpont Morgan's yacht 
Corsair, then sailed in and finished the second 
boat. 

Gun for gun and shot for shot the running 
fight was kept up between the Spanish cruisers 
and the four American vessels. At 10.30 o'clock 
the Infanta Maria Teresa and Vizcaya were al- 
most on the beach, and were evidently in distress. 
As the Texas was firing at them a white flag was 
run up on the one nearest her. 

" Cease firing!" called Captain Philip, and a 
moment later both the Spaniards were beached. 
Clouds of black smoke arose from each, and 
bright flashes of flame could be seen shining 
through the smoke. Boats were visible putting 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 525 

out from the cruisers to the shore. The Iowa 
waited to see that the two warships were really 
out of the fight, and it did not take her long to 
determine that they would never fight again. 
The Iowa herself had suffered some very hard 
knocks. 

The Brooklyn, Oregon and Texas pushed 
ahead after the Colon and Almirante Oquendo, 
which were now running the race of their lives 
along the coast. At 10.50 o'clock, when Admiral 
Cervera's flagship, the Almirante Oquendo, sud- 
denly headed in shore, she had the Brooklyn and 
Oregon abeam and the Texas astern. .The 
Brooklyn and Oregon pushed on after the Cris- 
tobal Colon, which was making fine time and 
which looked as if she might escape, leaving the 
Texas to finish the Almirante Oquendo. This 
work did not take long. The Spanish ship was 
already burning. At 1 1.05 down came the yellow 
and red flag at her stern. Just as the Texas got 
abeam of her she was shaken by a mighty ex- 
plosion. 

"Don't Cheer; tlie Poor Devils are Dying." 

The crew of the Texas started to cheer. 
" Don't cheer, because the poor devils are dying," 
called Capt. Philip, and the Texas left the Al- 
mirante Oquendo to her fate to join in the chase 
of the Cristobal Colon. 



526 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

That ship in desperation was ploughing the 
waters at a rate that caused the fast Brooklyn 
trouble. The Oregon made great speed for a 
battleship, and the Texas made the effort of her 
life. Never since her trial trip had she made such 
time. 

The Brooklyn might have proved a match 
to the Cristobal Colon in speed, but she was not 
supposed to be her match in strength. 

Greatest Chase of Modern Times. 

It would never do to allow even one of the 
Spanish ships to get away. Straight into the 
west the greatest chase of modern times took 
place. The Brooklyn headed the pursuers. She 
stood well out from the shore in order to try to 
cut off the Cristobal Colon at a point jutting out 
into the sea far ahead. The Oregon kept a 
middle course about a mile from the cruiser. The 
desperate Don ran close along the shore, and now 
and then he threw a shell of defiance. The old 
Texas kept well up in the chase under forced 
draught for over two hours. 

The fleet Spaniard led the Americans a 
merry chase, but she had no chance. The Brook- 
lyn gradually forged ahead, so that the escape of 
the Cristobal Colon was cut off at the point above 
mentioned. The Oregon was abeam of the Colon 
then, and the gallant Don gave it up. 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 527 

Down Came the Colon's Flag. 

At 1. 1 5 o'clock he headed for the shore, and 
five minutes later down came the Spanish flag. 
None of our ships was then within a mile of her, 
but her escape was cut off. The Texas, Oregon 
and Brooklyn closed in on her and stopped their 
engines a few hundred yards away. 

Commodore Schley left the Brooklyn in a 
small boat and went aboard the Cristobal Colon 
and received the surrender. Meantime the New 
York, with Admiral Sampson on board, and the 
Vixen were coming up on the run. Commodore 
Schley signalled to Admiral Sampson : "We have 
won a great victory; details will be communicated." 
It Was Schley's Victory. 

The victory certainly was Commodore 
Schley's. Then for an hour after the surrender 
in that little cove under the high hills was a gen- 
eral Fourth of July celebration, though a little 
premature. Our ships cheered one another, the 
captains indulged in compliments through the 
megaphones, and the Oregon got out its band, and 
the strains of the ''Star-Spangled Banner" echoed 
over the line of Spaniards drawn up on the deck 
of the last of the Spanish fleet, and up over the 
lofty green-tipped hills of the Cuban mountains. 

Commodore Schley coming alongside the 
Texas from the Cristobal Colon in his gig, called 
out cheerily, "It was a nice fight, Jack, wasn't it?" 



528 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

The veterans of the Texas lined up and gave 
three hearty cheers and a tiger for their old com- 
mander-in-chief. Capt. Philip called all hands to 
the quarter-deck, and, with bared head, thanked 
God for the almost bloodless victory. 

"I want to make public acknowledgment 
here," he said, "that I believe in God the Father 
Almighty. I want all you officers and men to lift 
your hats and from your hearts offer silent thanks 
to the Almighty." 

All hats were off. There was a moment or 
two of absolute silence, and then the overwrought 
feelings of the ship's company relieved themselves 
in three hearty cheers for their beloved com- 
mander. 

The Brooklyn, later in the afternoon, started 
east to chase a report that another Spanish war- 
ship had been seen. The vessel turned out to be 
the Austrian cruiser Maria Teresa. 

The Resolute came up, and the work of 
transferring the prisoners of the Cristobal Colon 
to her was begun. Five hundred and thirty men 
were taken off. Eight were missing. 

Not Likely that the Colon can be Saved. 

It was hoped that the Cristobal Colon might 
be saved as a Fourth of July gift to our navy. She 
was beached bow on, on a sandy shore, and her 
stern was afloat. She was not materially damaged 
by the shots that had struck her. One thirteen- 




a 



■0* 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 53 1 

inch shell and one eight-inch had hit her, but it 
was found that the Spaniards had taken every 
mean measure to destroy her after they themselves 
were safe. They had opened every sea valve in 
the ship and had thrown the caps overboard. 
They had opened all the ports and smashed the 
deadlights. They had even thrown the breech 
plugs of their guns overboard. 

The Colon floated off at 7 o'clock in the 
evening and drifted 500 yards down the beach 
to the westward, swinging bow out. The New 
York pushed her back, stern on the beach, but 
the water was already up to her gun deck. At 
1 1 o'clock she lurched and turned over on her 
starboard side, with her port guns pointing 
straight up to the sky. 

Admiral Cervera Wounded. 

The Spanish Admiral, who was wounded in 
the arm, was taken to the Gloucester, and was 
received at her gangway by her commander, 
Lieutenant-Commander Richard Wainwright. He 
grasped the hand of the gray-bearded Admiral, 
and said to him: "I congratulate you, sir, upon 
having made as gallant a fight as was ever wit- 
nessed on the sea." There was no mistaking' the 
heartbroken expression upon the old head sea- 
man's face as he took the proffered hand of Lieu- 
tenant-Commander Wainwright and was shown 

30 



532 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

to the latter's cabin, but he made every effort to 
bear bravely the bitter defeat that had come 
to him. 

Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright had been 
the executive officer of the Maine. He was 
aboard her when she was blown up through 
Spanish treachery at Havana, and was one of the 
last to leave her shattered hulk. Now with grim 
satisfaction he watched the flames and smoke 
roaring through the decks of the three Spanish 
warships. To his brother officers beside him he 
remarked: "The Maine is avenged." 

In this battle six. Spanish ships were de- 
stroyed, 600 men killed, and 1,800 taken pris- 
oners. On the American side not a ship was 
injured, and only one man was killed and two 
wounded. Spain's finest fleet was utterly de- 
stroyed, and the doom of Santiago was sealed. 
Surrender of Santiago* 

After the destruction of the Spanish fleet no 
important movements were made by the army, 
except to tighten its grip upon the city of Santi- 
ago by extending its lines around it more fully. 
Then the Spanish commander asked for terms 
of surrender. He at first proposed to evacuate 
the city if our commanders would let him do so. 
But they refused. Unconditional surrender was 
their demand. Time was given to him to com- 
municate with Madrid, and as a result an agree- 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 533 

merit was finally reached between General Toral 
on the Spanish side and General Shafter on the 
American. The act of surrender was signed at 
four o'clock on the afternoon of July 15. It pro- 
vided for the surrender of the city of Santiago 
and all of the province of Santiago lying east of 
a line drawn from Aserradero to Sagua de Ta- 
namo, and of all the Spanish troops therein, the 
latter to be sent home to Spain by the United 
States Government. 

The terms of the surrender involved the fol- 
lowing points : The 20,000 refugees at El Caney 
and Siboney to be turned back to the city. 

An American infantry patrol to be posted on 
the roads surrounding the city and in the country 
between it and the American cavalry. 

Our hospital corps to give attention as far 
as possible to the sick and wounded Spanish sol- 
diers in Santiago. 

All the Spanish troops in the province ex- 
cept 10,000 men at Holguin, under command of 
Gen. Luque, to come into the city and surrender. 

The guns and defences of the city to be 
turned over to the Americans in good condition. 

The Americans to have full use of the Jura- 
eua Railroad. 

The Spaniards to surrender their arms. 

All the Spaniards to be conveyed to Spain 
on board of American transports with the least 



534 WAR WITH spain. 

possible delay, and be permitted to take portable 
church property with them. 

Discussing: Ternis. 

The clause in regard to church property was 
especially interesting in view of the fact that when 
the Americans first threatened to bombard the 
city the Archbishop of Santiago and the priests 
and nuns came out to the American lines and 
demanded safe convoy out of the city. They 
were told to go back and point out to the Span- 
ish officers the foolishness of further resistance. 

There was a good deal of discussion re- 
garding the arms of the Spaniards. They were 
anxious to retain them. It was finally settled 
that they should give them up. 

The Americans declared that the point was 
of trivial importance. They suspected that the 
Spaniards only wanted to gain time. The Com- 
missioners argued all the morning and until late 
in the afternoon, when an understanding was 
arrived at. 

The conditions stated were accepted : the 
Spanish to leave the city with military honors, 
but surrendering their arms before leaving. 

The Spaniards also agreed to co-operate with 
the Americans in destroying the mines and torpe- 
does at the entrance to the harbor and in the bay. 

The agreement was signed in duplicate by 
all the Commissioners on each side, and each 



WAR WITH SPAIN. 535 

side retained a copy. Before the Spanish Com- 
missioners signed it Captain-General Blanco sent 
his approval of the agreement, but added that he 
must still consult the Government at Madrid. 
He therefore wanted the matter postponed until 
he received an answer from Madrid. 

The Americans refused this, but agreed that 
the signatures should be conditional. 

The ratification of the terms by the Madrid 
Government soon came, and the surrender was 
completed. 

Or eat Rejoicing:©. 

The news of this triumph was received with 
great rejoicing in the United States, and the fol- 
lowing messages were promptly sent : 

"Washington, D. C, July 16. 
"General Shafter, Commanding Front, near Santi- 
ago, Play a : 

" The President of the United States sends 
to you and your brave army the profound thanks 
of the American people for the brilliant achieve- 
ments at Santiago, resulting in the surrender of 
the city and all of the Spanish troops and terri- 
tory under General Toral. 

"Your splendid command has endured not 
only the hardships and sacrifices incident to cam- 
paign and battle, but in stress of heat and weather 
has triumphed over obstacles which would have 
overcome men less brave and determined. 



536 WAR WITH SPAIN. 

"One and all have displayed the most con- 
spicuous gallantry and earned the gratitude of 
the nation. 

"The hearts of the people turn with tender 
sympathy to the sick and wounded. 

"May the Father of Mercies protect and 
comfort them. William McKinley." 

Also the following : 

" Major- General, Front, near Santiago, Play a : 

"I cannot express in words my gratitude to 
you and your heroic men. Your work has been 
done. God bless you all. 

R. A. Alger, Secretary of War." 



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